Dendronized polymers are intriguing macromolecules which have been investigated for many years due to their numerous potential applications. Many dendronized polymers have glass transition temperatures in the range of 60 °C and lower. For many applications a higher transition would be attractive. 

Based on conformationally rather inflexible aromatic sulfon imide dendrons a new class of dendronized polymers is reported by researchers from the ETH Zurich that has a much increased glass transition temperature. In addition, because of the high crystallization tendency of these dendrons, for the first time the corresponding macromonomers could be crystallized and their packing in the crystal be determined. The higher glass transition temperatures make them potential candidates for eventual applications in the field of medical devices which have to be heat sterilized.