Structure of grafted polyelectrolyte layer

(Received 21 July 1991, revised 2 October 1991, accepted 7 October 1991)

Abstract
The equilibrium structure of a monolayer formed by long polyelectrolyte chains grafted at one end onto an impermeable planar surface is analyzed. In contrast to the case of uncharged grafted polymer layer the unit density profile in a swollen state is not of the parabolic, but o the exponential type. The decrease in the solvent strength below the -point leads to the jumb-wise collapse transition accompanied by the drastic change in the shape of the density profile. The increase in the ionic strength of the solution causes gradual decrease in the layer dimensions and change of the density profile which tends to the parabolic shape.