  We study the behaviour of a hydrophobic chain near a hydrophobic boundary in
two dimensions, using the decorated lattice model of Berkema and Widom [G.T.
Barkema and B. Widom, J. Chem. Phys. 113, 2349 (2000)] to obtain effective,
temperature dependent intrachain and chain-boundary interactions. We use these
interactions to construct two model hamiltonians which can be solved exactly.
Our results compare favorably with preliminary Monte Carlo computations, using
the same effective interactions. At relatively low temperatures and at high
temperatures, we find that the chain is randomly configured in the ambient
water, and detached from the wall, whereas at intermediate temperatures it
adsorbs onto the wall in a stretched or partially folded state, again depending
upon the temperature, and the energy of solvation.

Statistical Mechanics;Soft Condensed Matter