Polymers near scale-free boundaries: Forces and phase transitions
Raz Halifa Levi, Mohammad Maghrebi
Yacov Kantor, Mehran Kardar
Outline
I. Entropic force on polymers: Universal amplitude related to polymer exponents
The exponent η depends on surface absorbtivity (D or N) and its shape, as well as state of the polymer (self-avoiding, phantom, ...)
II. Phantom polymers: Exact results from solutions of the diffusion equation
The amplitude is exactly zero at depinning transition for identical surfaces. Is this more generally true?
III. Self-avoiding polymers: Numerical results, and ε-expansion
Force of around 0.1 pico-Newton at 0.1 micron, can be concreased with multiple polymers.
Similar force expressions should exist for any combination of
self-similar shapes, scale-invariant boundaries, and ambient scale-invariant field.
IV. Unbinding transition: Polymers may be localized to a corner, or to an edge
V. Attractive Edge: angle-dependent criticality