Confined Polymers in a Poor Solvent: The Role of Bonding to the Surface

We analytically predict the concentration profile of a long polymer chain in a poor solvent, confined between two walls where some of its monomers can form strong bonds with the walls. In contrast to adsorption boundary conditions, these concentration profiles can vary nonmonotonically. Boundary conditions that lead to a decrease in the monomer concentration at the walls (at fixed, total monomer concentration) show a transition between concentration profiles in which the polymer concentration is organized peripherally (near the walls) and profiles in which the polymer concentration is the highest in the center (away from the walls). We conclude by discussing the relevance of our findings to experimental observations and simulation studies of chromatin organization in the nucleus of living cells.

Automated summary

In this study, we analytically predicted the concentration profile of a long polymer chain in a poor solvent, confined between two walls, where some monomers can form strong bonds with the walls. We observed nonmonotonic variations in concentration profiles due to boundary conditions that lead to a decrease in monomer concentration at the walls. This has implications for understanding chromatin organization in the nucleus of living cells.