ANALYSIS OF THE EXPERIMENTAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE SCALING THEORY OF POLYMER ADSORPTION

A detailed analysis of the experimental implications of the scaling th eory of polymer adsorption in the good solvent regime is presented. A number of new results that simplify the task of comparing theoretical predictions and experimental data are given: these include a new simpl e approximate expression for the force vs distance profile, which is c lose to the exact solutions over an appreciable range of the intersurf ace separations. The theoretical predictions are compared to available experimental data for the forces arising between mica plates exposed to poly(ethylene oxide)-water solutions. Good quantitative agreement b etween theory and experiment is found, with no need for adjustable par ameters.