End-capped associative polymer chains between nanospheres: Attractions in ideal solutions

We calculate equilibrium configurations of telechelic associative polymer c hains without excluded volume interactions between flat plates and curved s urfaces, obtaining analytical expressions for flat; plates and numerical re sults for chains between two spheres. Ideal chains with strongly but revers ibly adsorbed terminal groups produce an attraction of O(kT) per chain for planar surfaces as opposed to much less than kT per chain in marginal and g ood solvents at high densities. Our numerical results for two spheres yield a weaker repulsion and an attraction of shorter range than predicted by th e Derjagain approximation based on the nat plate solution. These effects ar e due to deflection of chains out of the gap at close separations.