Scattering functions of polymeric core-shell structures and excluded volume chains

General expressions for the scattering functions of polydisperse particles with an arbitrary number of concentric shells of lamellar, cylindrical, or spherical symmetry are derived. For shells consisting of dense polymer layers or brushes with algebraic density profiles, phi(r) similar to r(alpha), it is possible to obtain closed analytical expressions by taking advantage of the mathematical properties of hypergeometric functions. The same formalism can be employed to derive a closed expression for the form factor of polydisperse excluded volume chains assuming a des Cloizeaux-type segment distribution function.