Comb-like polymers inside nanoscale pores

A new method of polymer characterization, based on permeation studies using nanoscale pores, was recently proposed by Brochard and de Gennes [1]. In the present paper, we study how this method, initially developped for star polymers, can be extended to comb-like polymers [2]. The present study is based on the Flory free energy approach and therefore does not provide the more complete description of chain conformations that can be obtained in simple geometries through self-consistent field methods. Furthermore, our scaling analysis leaves numerical factors undetermined. The crossovers between the different regimes we obtain are expected to extend over a factor of two or so in the parameters.