ABSTRACT
We consider partially directed walk models of polymers undergoing inhomogeneous adsorption. The inhomogeneity can be in the polymer, in the surface, or in both. For the cases where the polymer is either a homopolymer or a strictly alternating copolymer and where the surface is either homogeneous or has stripes of width 1, we calculate detailed order parameters and show that these provide important information about the ways in which the polymer adsorbs.
ABSTRACT
We consider a partially directed walk model of a strictly alternating copolymer adsorbing on a striped surface where the energy is associated with the numbers of the two types of monomers adsorbed on the two types of surface sites. A force is applied to the last monomer and the polymer responds to this force, sometimes by desorbing. The force can be applied at various angles, with the surface component parallel or perpendicular (or at some other angle) to the stripe direction. The desorption behavior is strongly dependent on the force direction and the response gives information about the shape and direction of the polymer adsorbed on the surface, especially at low temperatures. In some cases the ground state is degenerate and this also has an important effect on the temperature dependence of the critical force needed for desorption. We give a complete solution of the problem using generating function techniques and an approximate treatment that is especially useful at low temperatures and helps in our physical understanding of the situation.
