Multidensity integral-equation theory for short diblock hard-sphere–sticky-hard-sphere chains

Abstract

The multidensity Ornstein-Zernike integral equation theory is applied to study a simple model of hard sphere/sticky hard sphere diblock chains. The multidensity integral equation formalism has been successfully used to model the equilibrium structure and thermodynamic properties of homonuclear chains and shorter dimer fluids; to our knowledge it has not been applied to model diblock chains. In this work, a diblock chain fluids is represented by an m-component equal molar mixture of hard spheres with species 1,2,...,mh and sticky hard spheres with species mh+1,mh+2,...,m. Each spherical particle has two attractive sites A and B except species 1 and m, which have only one site per particle. In the limit of complete association, this mixture yields a system of monodisperse diblock chains. A general solution of this model is obtained in the Percus-Yevick, Polymer Percus-Yevick and ideal chain approximations. Both structural and thermodynamic properties of this model are investigated. From this study, a microphase separation is predicted for relatively short diblock symmetric and asymmetric chains. This microphase separation is enhanced at lower temperature and higher density. When chain length increases, the phase transition changes from a microphase level to a macrophase level. The size of microdomain structure is found to be dependent on total chain length, relative ratio of block lengths, temperature, and density.