THEORY OF A PLANAR GRAFTED CHAIN LAYER IMMERSED IN A SOLUTION OF MOBILE POLYMER

The self-consistent field (SCF) theory of a planar grafted chain layer immersed in a solution of mobile polymer is developed. The equilibrium characteristics of the layer (its height, free energy, profiles of polymer units of grafted and mobile chains, and the distribution function of chain free ends) are obtained depending on the degrees of polymerization of grafted and mobile chains, the grafting density, and the content of mobile polymer chains in solution. The polydispersity of mobile chains in their lengths is also taken into account. It is shown that there are three different regimes of behavior of a grafted chain layer contacting a solution of mobile polymer. The increase in concentration of mobile chains in solution always leads to the densening of the grafted layer and it is a smooth process. The SCF results are compared with results of scaling analysis.