Synthesis, Self‐Assembly, and Host–Guest Response of Naphthalic Anhydride‐Ended Hyperbranched Polyesters

Abstract

Self‐assemblies fabricated from hyperbranched polymers have exhibited unique performances and a wide range of applications. However, the direct self‐assembly of such hyperbranched polymers into highly ordered macrostructures remains challenging, due to their high polydispersities, irregular architectures, and poorly defined shapes. Herein, hyperbranched polyesters (HBPE) modified with naphthalic anhydride terminal groups, so called HBPE‐(NA‐COOH)3 and HBPE‐(NA‐COOH)6, are synthesized by a convenient one‐pot procedure. Furthermore, highly ordered dendritic morphologies are obtained based on their self‐assembly, wherein the interlayer interactions are enhanced by the multiple hydrogen bonds among the carboxyl groups and the π–π stacking among the aromatic rings. In addition, the host–guest interactions of the naphthalic anhydride‐ended hyperbranched polyesters are investigated. Among them, HBPE‐(NA‐COOH)3 is a promising fluorescent probe to anthracene, while HBPE‐(NA‐COOH)6 is a promising probe to pyrene. image