The Dendritic State and Dendritic Effects

Abstract

Before 1984, three classes of macromolecular architecture (i.e. linear, cross-linked, and branched) were widely accepted for construction of relatively polydisperse products of different molecular weights. Since that year, the “dendritic state” is acknowledged as a new, fourth class of polymer architecture. It can be divided to five subclasses: random hyperbranched polymers, dendrigrafts, dendrons, dendrimers, and tecto(dendrimers) or megamers. Due to the presence of a large number of terminal groups and the limitations or a complete lack of interpenetration, the physicochemical properties of dendrimers differ from those of classical polymers. On the other site, dendrimers and hyperbranched polymers are partly overlapping groups, which differ in regularity of structure, synthetic availability, and chemical variability. In comparison with hyperbranched polymers, dendrimers are more regular and better defined, but more difficult to prepare. The fundamental properties (both chemical and biological) of dendrimers are described. Dendritic chain reaction (DCR), a signal amplification technique that uses the disassembly properties of self-immolative dendrimers is also mentioned.