Thermodynamic polydispersity and the Flory exponent

An investigation of configurational properties of the thermodynamic ensemble of linear polymers during equilibrium polymerization is initiated. Our Monte Carlo calculation performed on a square lattice using the Jarić-Bennemann model indicates a nonuniversal temperature- and stiffness-dependent asymptotic power-law behavior of the average square radius of gyration for polymers of a given weight S, R¯ ${}_{}{}^2{}_{}{}^{}$(S,T)≊A(T)${\mathrm{S}}^{\nu \left(\mathrm{T}\right)}$. In the limit of zero temperature, the average polymer weight and the average square radius of gyration diverge as R¯ ${}_{}{}^2{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{¯}$ ${}_{}{}^{\nu }{}_{}{}^{}$, where the exponent ν≊ν(0) depends on stiffness and differs from the Flory and Gaussian values.