Hierarchical structures of dendritic polymers

Abstract

Dendritic polymers' highly specific and three‐dimensional architectures set them apart from linear and slightly branched polymers. Their unique properties also allow them to form hierarchical organizations, which can be classified as planar or non‐planar. The preparation of a planar hierarchy consisting of dendritic polymers can be achieved by conventional techniques of adsorption or Langmuir monolayer and Langmuir–Blodgett accumulation, and the resultant hierarchy is well ordered. Non‐planar hierarchies are built on non‐planar scaffolds, for example by self‐assembly. In this mini‐review, the practical/potential applications of dendritic polymers such as for electrical or optical devices, sensing systems, or medical diagnosis are also reviewed in association with their structures. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry

Modeling the formation of ordered nano-assemblies comprised by dendrimers and linear polyelectrolytes: The role of Coulombic interactions

“…structures, the features of which (i.e., thickness, stability) could be regulated by changing the overall charge (e.g., by ionizing the peripheral only or both, the peripheral and the internal ionizable groups) of the dendritic component. 14,84,85 Under the examined conditions of dendrimer size and charging pattern, our systems appear to form films of thickness comparable to two dendrimer diameters (i.e., in actual units of approximately 2 nm). This finding, combined with those of previous studies 10, 26,58 implies that under appropriate changes in factors such as the dendrimer size, their charging density, and the length of the linear polyelectrolytes, the characteristics of the resulted morphology in the polymer-rich region might be controlled down to the nanoscale.…”

“…64,82,83 As in the case of colloidal/linear polyelectrolyte systems, in mixtures of charged dendrimers and oppositely charged linear polyelectrolytes overcharging has been found to play a key role in the ability of the formed complexes to self-organize in supramolecular assemblies. 13,84,85 Attributes like the effective surface charge density of the colloidal particles (here the dendrimers), the molecular weight and the concentration of the two components, may affect decisively the characteristics of the resulted structures. 10,26,84 In the case of the systems simulated in this work, selfassembly of the complexes driven by changes in the strength of electrostatic interactions is also observed.…”

“…67 Similar self-assembly of dendrimers in film-like structures, however, have been observed experimentally in the presence of substrates. 14,85,89 More specifically, composites of cationic dendrimers with linear anionic polymers were found to form well-defined two-dimensional FIG. 6.…”

Synthesis of Carbosilane Dendrimers with 2-Phenylethyl End Groups and Influence of Generation Number on Glass Transition Temperature of PS-based Composites

“…The use of carbosilane dendrimers as a cross-linker for silicone rubber also led to the enhancement of its performance properties [25]. The hierarchical structures based on dendrimer and either linear polymers or nanoparticles were reported in a review [26] to be promising nanomaterials for optical devices, sensing systems and medical applications.…”

Communication: Density-functional theory for inhomogeneous hyperbranched polymeric fluids: Polydisperse effect of degree of branching

“…To explore the effect of molecular architecture on physical properties, it is necessary to clearly understand the behavior of polymers with complex architecture like hyperbranched polymers. [1][2][3] Hyperbranched polymers are treelike macromolecules with densely branched structure. A number of branching points make them a variety of unique properties, such as the high functionality of end groups and biocompatibility with natural protein.…”