Scaling of homopolymers next to adsorbing surfaces: A Monte Carlo study

The interfacial structure of physisorbed homopolymers is studied by means o f Monte Carlo simulations. The focus is on relatively long chains in an eff ort to reach the power law regime inside the intermediate portion of the so lid-polymer interface. The chain lengths required exceed substantially thos e of polymers typically used for colloid stabilization. Our findings con rm the correctness of the generic -4/3 exponent for long chains. Furthermore, they quantify the difference between mean-field predictions and Monte Carl o data, which is exaggerated for long chains. Finally, these findings illus trate that resolution of the ner trends of interfacial structure requires e ven longer chain lengths than those studied in this article.