Scheutjens-Fleer lattice model

E. The Scheutjens-Fleer Lattice Model 1. Motivation and Formulation... 

Exactly as In lattice models, the walks are assumed to take place In a (self-consistent) field Ulz), which depends on the concentration profile

relation between U[z) and (p[z) one may use the Floiy-Hugglns theory usually in an expanded form, but other models, such as a generalized Van der Waals equation of state ) can also be taken. The most general expression for the self-consistent mean field U z) has been given by Hong and Noolandl K It has been shown ) that this expression is the continuum analogue of the lattice version of Scheutjens and Fleer, to be discussed in sec. 5.5. 

For situations of overlapping chains, where lateral fluctuations in the segment concentration become rather small, mean-field descriptions become appropriate. The most successful of this type of theoiy is the lattice model of Scheutjens and Fleer (SF-theoiy). In chapter II.5 some aspects of this model were discussed. This theory predicts how the adsorbed amount and the concentration profile 0(z) depend on the interaction parameters and x and on the chain length N. From the statistical-thermodynamic treatment the Helmholtz energy and, hence, the surface pressure ti can also be obtcdned. When n is expressed as a function of the profile 0(z), the result may be written as ... 

The quasi-lattice model was developed by Roe (13) and Scheutjens and Fleer (14) (SF theory) The basic analysis considered all chain conformations as step-weighted random walks on a quasi-crystalline lattice that extends in parallel layers from the surface. This is illustrated in Figure 16.2 which shows a possible conformation of a polymer molecule at a flat surface. The partition function was written in terms of the number of chain configurations that were treated as connected sequences of segments. In each layer parallel to the surface, random mixing between the segments and solvent molecules was assumed, i.e. by using... 

Our numerical self-consistent field (SCF) calculations are based on the model developed by Scheutjens and Fleer. In this treatment, the phase behavior of polymer systems is modeled by combining Markov chain statistics with a mean field approximation for the free energy. The equations in this lattice model are solved numerically and self-consistendy. The self-consistent potential is a function of the polymer segment density distribution and the Flory-Huggins interaction parameters, or... 

It is, however, the self-consistent field method that has been most extensively applied to polymer adsorption and in particular the lattice-based discretisation of the Edwards modified diffusion equation associated with Scheutjens and Fleer (1979, 1980). In this model the solution up to the impenetrable adsorbing surface is modelled as a lattice of equal volume cells. All of the lattice layers... 

Other lattice polymer efforts have been based on the self-consistent fleld theory of Scheutjens and Fleer (150,151). This approach differs from previously posed statistical theories for chain molecules in that the partition function is expressed in terms of the distribution of chain conformations rather than the distribution of segment densities. The equilibrium distribution of chain (ie model protein) conformations is thus calculable. Quantities predicted using this approach include the force between parallel plates coated with protein (152,153), the adsorption isotherm (154,155), and the segmental density distribution (154-157). 

---