Membrane fluctuation and polymer adsorption

Abstract

We investigate adsorption behaviors and desorption transitions of a flexible but self-avoiding polymer on a fluctuating (undulating) membrane (or interface). Incorporating hard-wall repulsion with polymer-membrane attraction of finite range, we find that the membrane fluctuation gives rise to an effective repulsion and enhances unbinding (desorption) transition of polymer, lowering the transition temperature. Employing hard square-well model as an example, we calculate the desorption transition temperature and the critical behaviors of polymer and membrane fluctuations. Our results are qualitatively different from those of Garel, Kadar and Orland (Europhys. Lett. 29 (1995) 303) who employed a contact attractive potential which allows the polymer to permeate the other side of the surface.