UPCOMING THEMATIC ISSUE
DENDRIMERS: AN UPDATE ON THEIR PROPERTIES
Dendrimers are hyper-branched macromolecules, synthesized step by step, by the repetition of quantitative reactions from a multifunctional core, to give globally spherical structures, which are also called "molecular trees". Dendrimers belong to both the world of polymers because they are made up of repeating units, the world of macromolecules, and the nanoworld because of their nanometric size. Due to their hyper-branched structure, dendrimers have a large number of chemical functions that are easily accessible since they are located on the surface, and therefore easily modified to give the dendrimer the desired properties.
The first researches focused on synthesis, and made it possible to develop methods to obtain dendrimers, the best known of which are PAMAM (polyamidoamine), PPI (polypropyleneimine), P-Lys (poly L-lysine), CSi (polycarbosilane), PPH (polyphosphorhydrazone), and PBE (polybenzylether), the latter having mainly allowed the synthesis of dendrons, which are like a branch of a dendrimer.
Current researches focus on the uses of dendrimers (and dendrons), and there are many of them. Examples include uses in the field of catalysis, in particular with the recovery and reuse of dendritic catalysts, or materials, with nanometric scale modifications of their surfaces, for example to make them sensors, or the integration of dendrimers into materials to modify their properties. But the largest number of current researches concern the field of health, with research against cancers, infectious diseases, inflammatory diseases, etc. even if there are currently only a few clinical trials with dendrimers.
This special issue focuses on recent advances in the field of dendrimers, mainly in the form of an account of the work of groups working in the field, and presented by their authors.
For this special 2025 issue, I would like to thank Janine Cossy and Pierre Braunstein for enthusiastically accepting my proposal, and Julien Desmarets for his help and advice in its realization. Thank you also to all the authors and co-authors for agreeing to participate in this special issue, hoping that it will be a source of inspiration for its readers.
Laboratoire de chimie de coordination (LCC) Toulouse