Dendrimer

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A dendrimer is a molecule with a form like the branches of a tree. The name comes from the Greek dendra, meaning "tree." In 1979, the first dendrimer was synthesized by D.A. Tomalia and other researchers at the Dow Chemical Company, and dendrimers have been studied all over the world because their form is unique.

Synthesis

In the synthesis of dendrimers, monomers lead to a monodisperse polymer, tree-like, or generational structure. There are two defined methods of dendrimer synthesis, divergent synthesis and convergent synthesis. The former assembles the molecule from the core to the periphery and the latter from the outside to termination at the core.

However, because a repeated reaction which consists of many steps is needed to protect the active site, it is difficult to synthesize dendrimers even if both methods are used. This is why there are obstacles to the synthesis of large quantities of dendrimers.

Properties and applications

The properties of dendrimers are dominated by the functional groups on the molecular surface. For example, a dendrimer can be water-soluble when its end-group is a hydrophilic group, like a carboxyl group. It is theoretically possible to design a water-soluble dendrimer with internal hydrophobicity, which would allow it to carry a hydrophobic drug in its interior.

Another property is that the volume of a dendrimer increases when it has a positive charge. If this property can be applied, dendrimers can be used for drug delivery systems (DDS) that can give medication to the affected part inside a patient's body directly.