Wetting in mixtures of colloids and excluded-volume polymers from density functional theory

Abstract

We use a microscopic density functional theory based on Wertheim's first order thermodynamic perturbation theory to study wetting behavior of athermal mixtures of colloids and excluded-volume polymers. In opposition to the wetting behavior of the Asakura-Oosawa-Vrij model we find the polymer-rich phase to wet a hard wall. The wetting transition is of the first order and is accompanied by the prewetting transition. We do not find any hints for the layering transitions in the partial wetting regime. Our results resemble the wetting behavior in athermal polymer solutions. We point out that an accurate, monomer-resolved theory for colloid-polymer mixtures should incorporate the correct scaling behavior in the dilute polymer regime and an accurate description of the reference system.

7 pages, 6 figures, revised version, at press in J. Chem. Phys

References in corpus (3)

• Short chains at solid surfaces: wetting transition from a density functional approach
• Demixing in athermal mixtures of colloids and excluded-volume polymers from a density functional theory
• A density--functional study of interfacial properties of colloid--polymer mixtures

Cited by in corpus (1)

• Surface-induced First Order Transition in Athermal Polymer/Nanoparticle Blends