Self-Consistent Field Theory of Inhomogeneous Polymeric Systems: A Variational Derivation

TL;DR

This paper presents a variational derivation of the self-consistent field theory (SCFT) for inhomogeneous polymeric systems, offering an alternative to traditional field-theoretical methods and discussing numerical solutions and applications.

Contribution

It introduces a variational approach to derive SCFT equations and free energy functional, enhancing theoretical understanding and computational methods for polymer systems.

Findings

Provides a new variational derivation of SCFT equations

Discusses numerical solution methods for SCFT

Highlights applications in inhomogeneous polymer systems

Abstract

The self-consistent field theory (SCFT) is a powerful framework for the study of the phase behavior and structural properties of many-body systems. In particular, polymeric SCFT has been successfully applied to inhomogeneous polymeric systems such as polymer blends and block copolymer melts. The polymeric SCFT is commonly derived using field-theoretical techniques. Here we provide an alternative derivation of the SCFT equations and SCFT free energy functional using a variational principle. Numerical methods of solving the SCFT equations and applications of the SCFT are also briefly introduced.