Starburst Dendrimers: Molecular‐Level Control of Size, Shape, Surface Chemistry, Topology, and Flexibility from Atoms to Macroscopic Matter

TLDR

Starburst dendrimers are highly ordered oligomeric/polymeric compounds assembled through iterative synthesis from initiator cores, with protecting group strategies and discrete generations, enabling them to mimic micelles, liposomes, and biomolecules for applications such as drug carriers and immunogens. The authors aim to establish a new branch of supramolecular chemistry that will drive advances in organic and macromolecular chemistry. The study demonstrates that size, shape, and surface chemistry of starburst dendrimers can be tuned by selecting specific reactions and synthetic building blocks.

Abstract

Abstract Starburst dendrimers are three‐dimensional, highly ordered oligomeric and polymeric compounds formed by reiterative reaction sequences starting from smaller molecules—“initiator cores” such as ammonia or pentaerythritol. Protecting group strategies are crucial in these syntheses, which proceed via discrete “Aufbau” stages referred to as generations. Critical molecular design parameters (CMDPs) such as size, shape, and surface chemistry may be controlled by the reactions and synthetic building blocks used. Starburst dendrimers can mimic certain properties of micelles and liposomes and even those of biomolecules and the still more complicated, but highly organized, building blocks of biological systems. Numerous applications of these compounds are conceivable, particularly in mimicking the functions of large biomolecules as drug carriers and immunogens. This new branch of “supramolecular chemistry” should spark new developments in both organic and macromolecular chemistry.