THEORY OF THE COLLAPSE-STRETCHING TRANSITION OF A POLYMER BRUSH IN A MIXED-SOLVENT

The collapse-stretching transition of a polymer brush in a binary solv ent was considered on the basis of mean-field theory. The transition i s found to be roughly guided by a single parameter chi and to differ s lightly from that in the one-component solvent. The peculiarities of t he good solvent/precipitant mixture were considered. An analogy betwee n the collapse-stretching transition of a polymer brush in a binary so lvent and the well-known effect of polymer precipitation in the mixed solvent was shown.