Dendrimers

Abstract

Nature has inspired humankind for centuries and on many fronts, with translation of its beauty, functionality, and innate processes having been carefully studied and transformed into products and applications that shape the fields of science and engineering well into this century, and beyond. Structures of immense strength and functionality, in particular, such as the honeycomb and the spider’s web are classic examples of nature’s contribution to humankind. Here, chemically derived dendrimers are no exception, being highly branched macromolecules with a plethora of applications that are elaborated on in this chapter.

13.1.1 The Origin of DendrimersThe term “dendrimer” originates from the Greek word dendron, meaning “tree,” and as such their architecture closely resembles the branches (and roots) of a flourishing tree. Dendrimeric architecture can be seen across the plant/animal kingdom, for example, geckos possess a network of many millions of microscopic foot hairs arranged in a highly ordered and branched (dendrimeric) fashion, which serve as remarkable adhesive anchors. From a chemistry perspective, the first such library of synthetic dendrimers, or “cascade molecules,” as they were then termed by their creator Fritz Vögtle, was reported in the late 1970s (Buhleier et al., 1978). Since then, dendrimers have come into their own as a unique class of monodisperse polymers, differing from conventional polymers, given their precise structure, size, and surface-active functionality. Today over 100 varieties of dendrimers have been prepared, with some of the most commonly utilized examples depicted in Fig. 13.1 below (Mintzer and Grinstaff, 2011; Tomalia, 2005).