Directed Self Avoiding Walk Model Of A Semiflexible Polymer Chain On A Rectangular Lattice And A Square Lattice

Essential physics associated with the conformational behavior of a linear semiflexible homopolymer chain have been derived from a model of directed self avoiding walk (DSAW) on a two dimensional rectangular lattice. The DSAW model has been solved analytically to study phase transitions occurring in the polymer chain and exact values of conformational properties and transition points have been reported. We have analyzed the variation of critical value of step fugacity and persistent length with bending energy of the semiflexible polymer chain for a case when the chain is in the bulk. In presence of an attractive impenetrable surface, variation of critical value of monomer-surface attraction with bending energy of the polymer chain shows that adsorption of a stiff polymer chain takes place at a smaller value of monomer surface attraction than a flexible polymer chain. We have compared the results obtained for a two dimensional rectangular lattice case to the corresponding results obtained using square lattice and found that qualitative nature of phase diagrams are similar in the case of both the lattices. [New York Science Journal. 2010;3(1):32-37]. (ISSN: 1554-0200).