Nanowerk  November 16, 2021 It is challenging to increase the rigidity of a macromolecule while maintaining solubility. Researchers in Germany have introduced the concept of a molecular ladder. They first designed a precursor compound that contained only a single polymer chain and attached polymerizable groups – a flexible “snake.” For some of the material, the second rail of the ladder was then formed in a subsequent step by means of a zipper reaction. In addition to the polymer with a single conjugated rail, the team obtained a polymer with two conjugated rails – the stiff “ladder”. They constructed such a […]