Dendrimers as Novel Polymeric Material: A Review on Its Synthesis, Characterization and Their Applications

Dendrimers are a new class of monodisperse polymeric materials. They are highly branched, fractal like macromolecules of defined shape, size and topology. There are two main synthetic methods for the preparation of dendrimers, the convergent and the divergent syntheses. Dendrimers are usually characterized by size exclusion chromatography (SEC), light scattering measurement, Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fluoresence microscopy, NMR spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, UV visible spectroscopy, Maldi TOF Mass spectrometry, AFM microscopy and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). They play an important role in the field of nanotechnology, biotechnology, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, vaccine and drug delivery, electronic devices, photonics, engineering products, catalysis, sensors and environmental issues. This review summaries the synthesis, characterization of dendrimers and their applications.