Hyperbranched Polymers:

Abstract

Abstract Macromolecular architecture is receiving increasing interest as the search for new tailor-made polymeric materials with strictly specified properties intensifies. Many research groups are now focusing their interest on dendritic macromolecules [dendron (Greek) = treelike, highly branched] i.e. dendrimers and hyperbranched polymers based on ABx-monomers. The high degree of branching for dendritic polymers has some consequences, e.g., no crystallization and no interchain entangling have been observed [1]. This gives rise to poor mechanical properties but good solubility and decreased melt viscosity [2] for dendritic macromolecules as compared to their linear analogs of the same molar mass.