Eur. Phys. J. E 6, 129-132 (2001)
Excluded-volume polymer-induced depletion interaction between parallel flat plates
R. Tuinier and H.N.W. LekkerkerkerVan 't Hoff Laboratory, Debye Research Institute, University of Utrecht, Padualaan 8, NL-3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands r.tuinier@chem.uu.nl
(Received 9 August 2001)
Abstract
The interaction between two parallel plates due to non-adsorbing polymer
chains with excluded volume is calculated using the adsorption method. The
adsorption is calculated from the profile of the polymer segment
concentration between the plates, which is obtained from the product
function of the concentration profile near a single wall, involving the
correlation length. The renormalization group theory provides expressions
for the osmotic pressure and consequently for the osmotic compressibility,
chemical potential and correlation length of a polymer solution. Both the
local polymer concentration profiles as well as the minimum of the
interaction potential between the plates agree with recently published
self-avoiding random walk computer simulations.
61.25.Hq - Macromolecular and polymer solutions; polymer melts; swelling.
82.70.Dd - Colloids.
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag 2001
