Special Issue "Dendrimers - from Synthesis to Applications"

Guest Editor
Prof. Dr. Afang Zhang
Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 10, HCI G525, Institute of Polymers, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
Website: https://www.bi.id.ethz.ch/postel/arbeitsDetailsPre.do?teilnehmernummer=39326
E-mail:

Biomedical applications, chiral dendrimer, dendrimer assembly, dendrimer block copolymers, dendrimer chirality, dendrimer conjugates, dendrimer-like star polymers, dendrimer MRI contrast agents, dendrimer nanoparticles, dendrimer nonreactors, dendrimer nano-templates, dendrimer synthesis, dendron, dendronized polymers, drug delivery, hyperbranched polymers, organocatalysis, peptide dendrimer, stimuli-responsive dendrimers, supramolecular dendrimers

Manuscript ID: molecules-dendrimers-20081118-jp-Nakano
Type of Paper: Article
Title: Theoretical Study on Exciton Dynamics in Dendritic Systems: Exciton Recurrence and Migration
Authors: Masayoshi Nakano, Ryohei Kishi, Takuya Minami and Hideaki Takahashi
Abstract: Dendritic systems have attracted much attention due to the high controllability of the architecture and size and various unique physical and chemical functionalities, e.g., highly efficient energy migration, drug delivery, catalyst, and (non)linear optical and magnetic properties. In this contribution, we focus on the optical functionalities such as exciton recurrence and migration for dendritic systems using quantum master equation approach based on the ab initio molecular orbital configuration interaction (MO-CI) method, which can treat both the coherent and incoherent exciton dynamics at the first principle level. Several phenylacetylene nanostar dendrimers are examined in order to elucidate the mechanism of excion recurrence and migration motions in relation to the structure dependences. Also, the present results are discussed in relation to the conventional calculation results based on the aggregate models with dipole-dipole interaction. These results will be useful for obtaining guidelines of building efficient nano-optical and light-harvesting devices based on exciton recurrence and migrations.

Manuscript ID: molecules-dendrimers-20081118-us-Rinaldi
Type of Paper: Review
Title: Solution NMR Studies of Dendrimers (Outline)
Authors: Minghui Chai^1,* and Peter L. Rinaldi^2,*
Affiliations: ¹Department of Chemistry, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858; E-mail: Minghui.chai@cmich.edu
²Department of Chemistry, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325; E-mail: PeterRinaldi@uakron.edu
Abstract: NMR spectroscopy has been a powerful tool for structural characterization and property study of molecules, especially for biopolymers. Dendrimers are unique type of synthetic macromolecules with a cascade hyper-branched structure and spherical shape if perfectly generated. Classic 1D 1H and 13C NMR techniques have been heavily utilized for dendrimer structural verification after the synthesis. This review focuses on the applications of special NMR techniques such as NMR relaxation time and diffusion measurements, multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, as well as multidimensional homo- and hetero-nuclear correlation spectroscopy for studying the structure, property and interactions of dendrimers.
Keywords: Dendrimer, Dendrimer assembly, NMR, Multinuclear NMR, Multidimensional NMR

Manuscript ID: molecules-dendrimers-20081118-jp-Sashiwa
Type of Paper: Article
Title: Chitosan-dendrimer hybrid
Author: Hitoshi Sashiwa
Affiliation: Frontier Materials Development Lab., Kaneka Co., Ltd., Nishi 5-1-1, Settsu, Osaka 566-0072 Japan
E-mail, Hitoshi_Sashiwa@kn.kaneka.co.jp
Abstract: Chitosan indicates interesting biological activities such as gene delivery, antibacterial, antifungal, and wound healing activity. Dendrimers represent chemically well-defined structure. By molecular design, dendrimers offer numerous possibilities for medical applications, host-guest chemistry, dendritic catalysts, etc. owing to their multifunctional properties. Therefore, dendrimer is one of the attractive molecules to modify with chitosan. Moreover, chitosan-dendrimer hybrid is a “rod type molecule”, which can lead a variety of functional molecules at the surface of dendrimer such as sugar, peptide, lipid, drug, and so on. In this review a variety of the synthetic method of chitosan-dendrimer hybrids are described.

Manuscript ID: molecules-dendrimers-20081123-us-Larson
Type of Paper: Review
Title: Multiscale Modeling of Dendrimers and their Interactions with Bilayers
Authors: Hwankyu Lee ¹ and Ronald G. Larson ²
Affiliations: ¹ Laboratory of Computational Biology, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892-9314;
² University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2136
E-mails: leeh3@nhlbi.nih.gov (Hwankyu Lee); rlarson@umich.edu (Ronald G. Larson)
Abstract: Recent advances in molecular dynamics simulation methodologies and computational power have allowed accurate predictions of dendrimer size, shape, and interactions with bilayers with modest computational effort. Atomistic and coarse-grained simulations of acetylated and unacetylated PAMAM dendrimers of generations G5 in water and methanol show modest distortions from spherical shape and sizes that are in good agreement with experimental data. Coarse-grained models show strong interactions of large cationic dendrimers (G5 or larger) with lipid bilayers, including bilayer penetration and pore formation. Pore formation is enhanced at high dendrimer concentration, but suppressed at low temperature and high salt concentration, in agreement with experiments. Cationic linear polymers have also been simulated, but do not perforate membranes, evidently because by deforming into a pancake, the charges on a linear polymer all achieve intimate contact with a single bilayer leaflet. The relatively rigid dendrimers, on the other hand, penetrate the bilayer, because only by interacting with both leaflets, can they achieve a similar degree of charge compensation. Overall, these new results indicate that simulations can now give predictions in excellent agreement with experimental observations, and provide atomic-scale insights into dendrimer structure and dynamics.

Type of Paper: Review
Title: Carbosilane and Carbosilxane Dendrimers
Author: Chungkyun Kim
Affiliation: Dong-A University, Busan 604-714 Korea;
E-mail: ckkim@dau.ac.kr
Abstract: This is the report of carbosilane dendrimers with Si-C as well as Si-O-C bonds built into the branch cells of their interiors from cores. The constructions of the interior components have single, double and triple carbon-carbon bonds. Various reactions of these dendritic peripheral end-groups are discussed to demonstrate how potentially versatile organic or organometallic moieties can be introduced into their peripheral regions by coupling, and complexation reactions.