POLYMER ADSORPTION ON HETEROGENEOUS SURFACES

The adsorption of a single ideal polymer chain on energetically hetero geneous and rough surfaces is investigated using a variational procedu re introduced by Garel and Orland (Phys. Rev. B 55, 226 (1997)). The m ean polymer size is calculated perpendicular and parallel to the surfa ce and is compared to the Gaussian conformation and to the results for polymers at flat and energetically homogeneous surfaces. The disorder -induced enhancement of adsorption is confirmed and is shown to be muc h more significant for a heterogeneous interaction strength than for s patial roughness. This difference also applies to the localization tra nsition, where the polymer size becomes independent of the chain lengt h. The localization criterion can be quantified, depending on an effec tive interaction strength and the length of the polymer chain.