Neutral and charged polymers at interfaces

Roland R. Netz, David Andelman*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

669 Scopus citations

Abstract

Chain-like macromolecules (polymers) show characteristic adsorption properties due to their flexibility and internal degrees of freedom, when attracted to surfaces and interfaces. In this review we discuss concepts and features that are relevant to the adsorption of neutral and charged polymers at equilibrium, including the type of polymer/surface interaction, the solvent quality, the characteristics of the surface, and the polymer structure. We pay special attention to the case of charged polymers (polyelectrolytes) that have a special importance due to their water solubility. We present a summary of recent progress in this rapidly evolving field. Because many experimental studies are performed with rather stiff biopolymers, we discuss in detail the case of semi-flexible polymers in addition to flexible ones. We first review the behavior of neutral and charged chains in solution. Then, the adsorption of a single polymer chain is considered. Next, the adsorption and depletion processes in the many-chain case are reviewed. Profiles, changes in the surface tension and polymer surface excess are presented. Mean-field and corrections due to fluctuations and lateral correlations are discussed. The force of interaction between two adsorbed layers, which is important in understanding colloidal stability, is characterized. The behavior of grafted polymers is also reviewed, both for neutral and charged polymer brushes.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-95
Number of pages95
JournalPhysics Reports
Volume380
Issue number1-2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2003

Funding

FundersFunder number
Centers of Excellence Program210/02
Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung
Verband der Chemischen Industrie
Deutsche ForschungsgemeinschaftSFB 486
United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation98-00429
Israel Science Foundation

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Neutral and charged polymers at interfaces'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this