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On the Phase Nature of Polymer Brush Collapse upon Solvent Deterioration
Author(s) -
Amoskov Victor M.,
Birshtein Tatiana M.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
macromolecular theory and simulations
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.37
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1521-3919
pISSN - 1022-1344
DOI - 10.1002/mats.200900022
Subject(s) - brush , solvent , polymer , phase (matter) , phase transition , polymer brush , thermodynamics , critical point (mathematics) , materials science , chemical physics , polymer chemistry , chemistry , physics , mathematics , organic chemistry , composite material , geometry , polymerization
The phase nature of polymer brush collapse upon deterioration of the solvent was investigated. The analysis is based on the self‐consistent field theory and the Flory‐Huggins model. It was shown that the transition from good to poor solvent via the θ ‐point is actually a phase transition of high order. This result contradicts the conventional view on this process as a non‐phase one. According to the Ehrenfest classification, this process appears to be a fifth‐order phase transition.