Ladder Polymer Science
Since Staudinger proposed the “macromolecular hypothesis” in 1920, polymer science has continued to develop over the past 100 years as a crucial field of research, deeply involved in a wide range of fields, from cutting-edge materials science to life sciences. Polymers are generally recognized as giant molecules composed of small units called “monomers” that are covalently linked together in a single chain-like fashion, and can be imagined as a beads necklace at the molecular level. Then,
“What would happen if we added another bond between the monomer units?”
Such polymers are called ladder polymers. In conventional (single-stranded) polymers, only a single bond connects the monomer units, allowing free rotation around the bond axis. As a result, the overall macromolecular structure tends to be disordered. In contrast, in ladder polymers, two or more chemical bonds connect between adjacent monomer units, severely constraining the conformation along the main chain. Hence, the structural order is dramatically increased. This “addition of just one more chemical bond” restricts conformational freedom, potentially leading to critical differences between single-stranded polymers and ladder polymers.
This simple design concept of adding a second bond to polymers has the potential to advance polymer science from both a structural and functional perspective. However, the synthesis of ladder polymers remains challenging. This research project aims to achieve: (1) innovation in the synthesis of ladder polymers, (2) dramatic expansion of the structural diversity, and (3) elucidation of physical properties and development of advanced functionalities, pioneering the future of “ladder polymer science”.

https://ladder-polymer-science.jp/en/research/