Hybrid Materials Built from (Phosphorus) Dendrimers

Abstract

This chapter presents the covalent grafting of (P-)dendrimers onto inorganic surfaces (quartz, silica, membranes). The first example of covalent grafting of P-dendrimers onto an inorganic surface concerned a quartz surface functionalized with aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTS), on which dendrimers ended by aldehydes were condensed. The chapter then describes the non-covalent grafting of (P-)dendrimers onto inorganic surfaces, by electrostatic interactions. The layer-by-layer (LbL) alternate deposition of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes, driven by electrostatic interactions, allows the fabrication of well-defined multilayer structures. The chapter focuses on the specific case of the modification of the surface of electrodes by electrodeposition of (P-)dendrimers. It discusses the materials in which the (P-)dendrimers and the inorganic counter-part are mixed intimately. The chapter shows a specific case of such interactions that concerns the stabilization of metallic nanoparticles (NPs). In all cases, the potential applications of these hybrid materials, in particular as sensors, and the elaboration of nano-objects, are emphasized.