Adsorption-like Collapse of Diblock Copolymers

Abstract

A linear copolymer made of two reciprocally attracting N-monomer blocks collapses to a compact phase through a novel transition, whose exponents are determined with extensive MC simulations in two and three dimensions. In the former case, an identification with the statistical geometry of suitable percolation paths allows to predict that the number of contacts between the blocks grows like $N^{9/16}$. In the compact phase the blocks are mixed and, in two dimensions, also zipped, in such a way to form a spiral, double chain structure.

4 pages, 5 Postscript figures

References in corpus (3)

• Critical Exponents of the N-vector model
• Path Crossing Exponents and the External Perimeter in 2D Percolation
• Continuously Varying Exponents for Oriented Self-Avoiding Walks

Cited by in corpus (9)

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• Zipping and collapse of diblock copolymers
• Pseudoknots in a Homopolymer
• Adsorption transition of a self-avoiding polymer chain onto a rigid rod
• On the number of contacts of a floating polymer chain cross-linked with a surface adsorbed chain on fractal structures
• Critical behavior of interacting two-polymer system in a fractal solvent: an exact renormalization group approach