Statistical properties of confined macromolecules

The review presents in a consistent manner the results of a rigorous theory which describes the equilibrium behaviour of an isolated macromolecule in a porous medium. An exactly solvable model of a macromolecule in a slit-like pore is used as the base model. Various behavioural regimes are analyzed for a macromolecule in a pore, realizable at various molecule-to-pore size ratios, as also with varied adsorption interactions. The effect of polymer chain rigidity is discussed, and so is the specific behaviour of a macromolecule in different forms of pores. Presented also are the results of a rigorous theory for ideal cyclic macromolecules in pores under conditions of varied adsorption interactions. is compared with experimental results on the partition coefficients of macromolecules at no adsorption and with adsorption interactions taking place. Comparing theory with experiment enables determination of a correlation length of adsorption for various polymer-solvent-adsorbent systems. sic results are discussed in terms of the scaling theories which account for the excluded volume effects and for the effect of the thermodynamic quality of the solvent upon the behaviour of linear and cyclic macromolecules in pores. ide the discussion on the properties of individual confined macromolecules, another situation is analyzed: that where a molten amorphous polymer is in contact with solid particles. Various approaches are examined toward describing such systems. It is suggested and justified that the conformations of flexible-chain macromolecules in an amorphous polymer amidst filler particles are identical to the conformations of an isolated chain at the critical adsorption interaction energy.