The Flory Temperature 
[Flory- 545] [Sperling-114]
Flory defines the Flory temperature as "the critical miscibility
temperature in the limit of infinite molecular weight.
- Three ways of defining
are given [Sperling-114]
- At this temperature the second virial coefficient,
is zero for dilute
solutions, and 
is 0.5
- The radius of gyration approximates that of the bulk polymer at this temperature
- At this temperature an infinite molecular weight fraction would begin to
precipitate (at hotter temperatures, it will stay in solution)
(Author's note: I haven't come across a reference to confirm the following,
but it seems reasonable that since
polymer solubility depends on concentration, that the Flory temperature
is for a system with the "smallest possible concentration", a system with
only one polymer molecule.
- See also Sperling 5.3.2 (p. 174) where the term
random coil is defined.
Last Update- September 9, 1995- wld