By fusing two commonly used monomers into a new monomer, you can combine their best properties, a Leuven team shows in ChemSusChem.

Nowadays, it is important to think about degradability and recyclability when designing new polymers. A good example is poly(thio)lactides, which consist of ester compounds or thioesters (with sulphur). Both have their advantages and disadvantages. An Sofie Narmon, Michiel Dusselier and colleagues at KU Leuven wanted to combine these ‘pros’ by making a monomer that combines the ester and the thio-ester.