Curvature Elasticity of an Adsorbed Polymer Layer

F. Clement; J.-F. Joanny

doi:doi:10.1051/jp2:1997108

Numéro		J. Phys. II France Volume 7, Numéro 7, July 1997


Page(s)		973 - 980
DOI		https://doi.org/10.1051/jp2:1997108

DOI: 10.1051/jp2:1997108
J. Phys. II France 7 (1997) 973-980

Curvature Elasticity of an Adsorbed Polymer Layer

F. Clement and J.-F. Joanny

Institut Charles Sadron UPR CNRS 022, 6 rue Boussingault, 67083 Strasbourg Cedex, France

(Received 3 October 1996, revised 15 January 1997, accepted 10 April 1997)

Abstract
We study theoretically the change of the curvature moduli of a surfactant membrane due to the adsorption of a polymer solution. Using a mean field theory of polymer adsorption, we study both cases of reversible and irreversible polymer adsorption in good and $\theta$ solvents. The curvature moduli of the adsorbed polymer layers axe dominated by the short loops that the polymer forms on the membrane. The polymer contribution to the membrane bending modulus is always negative and the polymer contribution to the Gaussian curvature modulus is always positive.