Validity of the scaling functional approach for polymer interfaces as a variational theory.

We discuss the soundness of the scaling functional (SF) approach proposed by Aubouy Guiselin and Raphaël [Macromolecules 29, 7261 (1996)] to describe polymeric interfaces. In particular, we demonstrate that this approach is a variational theory. We emphasize the role of SF theory as an important link between ground-state theories suitable to describe adsorbed layers, and "classical" theories for polymer brushes.