Molecular dynamics simulations of charged dendrimers: low-to-intermediate half-generation PAMAMs

We have performed atomistic molecular dynamics simulations of PAMAM dendrimers of generations 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, and 4.5. The simulated systems comprise the charged dendrimer and its counterions embedded in a dielectric continuum (i.e., without explicit solvent). Structural properties of these dendrimers, like the radius of gyration, the principal moments of inertia, and the segment density profiles, were evaluated from the simulations. The average radius of gyration obtained for the intermediate half-generations 2.5, 3.5, and 4.5 follows the same scaling law that was previously inferred from simulations of full-generation PAMAMs, Rg approximately M1/3, and is characteristic of space-filling objects. The low half-generations 0.5 and 1.5 deviate, however, to greater Rg values. The shape of the smaller dendrimers is approximately that of a prolate ellipsoid, which becomes more spherical for higher generations. The segment density profiles show features identical to those obtained in other simulations of flexible-chain dendrimers, like dendron-backfolding. Two slightly different configurations, in terms of size and shape, were identified for generation 2.5. The radial distributions of counterions extracted from the simulations compare well with the solutions of Poisson-Boltzmann cell model, and the dendrimer's effective charge was estimated using the Bjerrum criterion. The influence of electrostatic interactions in the dendrimer's conformation due to repulsion between the charged end-groups and its relation to counterion effects is discussed for the several generations simulated. The form factors calculated from the simulations are compared with the model of a homogeneous ellipsoid of revolution. The overall results are in agreement with the previously established morphological transition of PAMAM dendrimers toward a more spherical and compact conformation above generations 3 or 4.     

Comparison of PAMAM-Au and PPI-Au nanocomposites and their catalytic activity for reduction of 4-nitrophenol

Dendrimer-Au nanocomposites are prepared in aqueous solutions using poly(amidoammine)dendrimers (PAMAM) (generation 2, 3, and 5) and poly(propyleneimine)dendrimers (PPI)(generation 2, 3, and 4) by wet chemical NaBH(4) method. The Au nanoparticles thus obtained are 2-4 nm in diameter for both dendrimers and no generation dependence on the particle size is observed, whereas the generations of the dendrimers are increased as stabilization of Au-nanoparticles is achieved with lower dendrimer concentrations. Studies of the reduction reaction of 4-nitrophenol using these nanocomposites show that the rate constants for the PAMAM dendrimers (generations 2 and 3) are higher than those for the PPI dendrimers (generations 2 and 3), while a distinct difference in the rate constants is not seen for the PAMAM dendrimer (generation 5) or the PPI dendrimer (generation 4). In addition, the rate constants for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol involving all the dendrimers decrease with increases in dendrimer concentrations.     

Electron capture dissociation,electron detachment dissociation,and collision-induced dissociation of polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer ions with amino,amidoethanol, and sodium carboxylate surface groups

Here, we investigate the effect of the structure (generation) and nature of the surface groups of different polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers on electron-mediated dissociation, either electron capture dissociation (ECD) or electron detachment dissociation (EDD), and compare the fragmentation with that observed in collision-induced dissociation (CID). ECD and EDD of the PAMAM dendrimers resulted in simple mass spectra, which are straightforward to interpret, whereas CID produced complex mass spectra. The results show that electron-mediated dissociation (ECD and EDD) of PAMAM dendrimers does not depend on the nature of the surface group but tends to occur within the innermost generations. CID of the PAMAM dendrimers showed a strong dependence on the nature of the surface group and occurred mostly in the outer generation. The results demonstrate the potential utility of ECD and EDD as a tool for the structural analysis of PAMAM dendrimers.     

银离子与聚酰胺-胺型树形高分子配位作用的研究

The complexation between poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers and silver ion was studied in this paper. The results showed that generations and surface groups of dendrimers， reaction time， pH value， mole ratio of Ag⁺/PAMAM dendrimers， as well as reaction temperature strongly influence complexation between Ag⁺ and PAMAM dendrimers. The maximum complexing number of Ag⁺ that amino-， hydroxyl- and carboxylate- terminated PAMAM dendrimers could bind has been obtained. It has been found that the measured value of amino- and hydroxyl- ter-minated PAMAM is almost similar to the theory value， but to carboxylate- terminated PAMAM， there is a dis-crepancy between the measured value and theory value because of the electrostatic interaction between the silver ion and carboxyl group.     

A simple polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis procedure for separation of polyamidoamine dendrimers

A simple, inexpensive, and rapid electrophoresis technique was developed for use as a routine tool for evaluating purity of polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers. A variety of factors influencing migration of generations 0-7 dendrimers on nongradient polyacrylamide gels were evaluated. The low generation dendrimers were found to be very sensitive to diffusion during or after electrophoresis. The proposed method incorporates steps that minimize diffusion, in order to obtain improved resolution and sensitivity, especially for the lower-molecular-weight dendrimers. This was accomplished by inclusion of a dendrimer fixation step with glutaraldehyde and performing the electrophoresis separation, fixation, staining, and destaining at 4 degrees C. PAMAM dendrimer separation was studied under basic and acidic conditions. Electrophoresis under acidic conditions gave increased resolution and sensitivity over separation at alkaline pH. Oligomers and trailing generations could be clearly separated and visualized under these conditions. The smallest PAMAM dendrimer, generation 0, was visible at 1.5 microg under the optimized acidic conditions. With slight modifications, this technique should be applicable to separation of other water-soluble dendrimers.     

CE of poly(amidoamine) succinamic acid dendrimers using a poly(vinyl alcohol)-coated capillary

Various generations (G1-G8) of negatively charged poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) succinamic acid dendrimers (PAMAM-SAH) were analyzed by CE using a poly(vinyl alcohol)-coated capillary. Due to its excellent stability and osmotic flow-shielding effect, highly reproducible migration times were achieved for all generations of dendrimer (e.g., RSD for the migration times of G5 dendrimer was 0.6%). We also observed a reverse trend in migration times for the PAMAM-SAH dendrimers (i.e., higher generations migrated faster than lower generation dendrimers) compared to amine-terminated PAMAM dendrimers reported in the literature. This reversal in migration times was attributed to the difference in counterion binding around these negatively charged dendrimers. This reverse trend allowed a generational separation for lower generation (G1-G3) dendrimers. However, a sufficient resolution for the migration peaks of higher generations (G4-G5) in a mixture could not be achieved. This could be due to their nearly identical charge/mass ratio and dense molecular conformations. In addition, we show that dye-functionalized PAMAM-SAH dendrimers can also be analyzed with high reproducibility using this method.     

Preparation of PAMAM- and PPI-metal (silver, platinum, and palladium) nanocomposites and their catalytic activities for reduction of 4-nitrophenol

Dendrimer-metal (silver, platinum, and palladium) nanocomposites are prepared in aqueous solutions containing poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers with surface amino groups (generations 3, 4, and 5) or poly(propyleneimine) (PPI) dendrimers with surface amino groups (generations 2, 3, and 4). The particle sizes of the metal nanoparticles obtained are almost independent of the generation as well as the concentration of the dendrimer for both the PAMAM and the PPI dendrimers; the average sizes of silver, platinum, and palladium nanoparticles are 5.6-7.5, 1.2-1.6, and 1.6-2.0 nm, respectively. It is suggested that the dendrimer-metal nanocomposites are formed by adsorbing the dendrimers on the metal nanoparticles. Studies of the reduction reaction of 4-nitrophenol by these nanocomposites show that the rate constants are very similar between PAMAM and PPI dendrimer-silver nanocomposites, whereas the rate constants for the PPI dendrimer-platinum and -palladium nanocomposites are greater than those for the corresponding PAMAM dendrimer nanocomposites. In addition, it is found that the rate constants for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol involving all the dendrimer-metal nanocomposites decrease with an increase in the dendrimer concentrations, and the catalytic activity of dendrimer-palladium nanocomposites is highest.     

Electrochemistry of non-redox-active poly(propylenimine) and poly(amidoamine) dendrimers at liquid-liquid interfaces

The electrochemistry of a series of dendrimers was examined at the interface between two immiscible electrolyte solutions (ITIES), enabling study of non-redox-active dendrimers. Different generations of poly(propylenimine) (DAB-AM-n) and poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers were studied. In their protonated states, the dendrimers were transferred across the ITIES, with the electrochemical behavior observed depending on the dendrimer family, the generation number, and the experimental pH. The electrochemistry of the lower generations studied was characterized by well-defined peaks for both dendrimer families and with small peak-peak separations in the case of the PAMAM family. The voltammetry of the higher generations was more complex, showing distorted voltammograms and instability of the interface. The charges of the transferring dendrimers were calculated by convolution of the voltammetric data and were similar to the theoretical charges for DAB-AM-n. For PAMAM, only the lowest generation exhibited reversible behavior, with higher generations having irreversible behavior. Using cyclic voltammetry, low micromolar concentrations of the dendrimers were detected. The results show that electrochemistry at the ITIES can be a useful method for characterization of ionizable dendrimers and that voltammetry can be a simple method for detection of low concentrations of these multicharged species.     

Synthesis of P(MBA-co-MAA) microsphere-grafted PAMAM dendrimers and their application as supporters for gold nanoparticles

Poly(N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) microsphere-supported polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers up to third generation (G) were grown onto the surface as well as the gel-layer of P(MBA-co-MAA) microspheres by a divergent method. The P(MBA-co-MAA) supported PAMAM dendrimers were used as heterogeneous stabilizers for the gold nanoparticles by an in situ reduction of HAuCl₄ via the efficient coordination interaction between the amino groups of the supported PAMAM dendrimers and the gold atoms. The effects of the generations of the P(MBA-co-MAA) supported PAMAM dendrimer on the loadings and the catalytic activity of the heterogeneous Au nanoparticles were systematically investigated with the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol as a model reaction.     

Synthesis of cationic water-soluble light-harvesting dendrimers

Four generations of phenylenefluorene (1F)- and phenylenebis(fluorene) (2F)-terminated polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers were synthesized by coupling activated esters with commercially available PAMAM precursors. Treatment of Boc-terminated pendant groups on the optically active units with 3 M HCl in dioxane yields cationic water-soluble dendrimers. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) experiments with the cationic dendrimers as the donor and double stranded DNA containing a fluorescein label as the acceptor reveal cooperative optical behavior.     

Structural characterization of new defective molecules in poly(amidoamide) dendrimers by combining mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance

A new side-reaction occurring during divergent synthesis of PAMAM dendrimers (generations G₀–G₂) was revealed by mass spectrometric detection of defective molecules with a net gain of a single carbon atom as compared to expected compounds. Combining MS/MS experiments performed on different electrosprayed precursor ions (protonated molecules and lithiated adducts) with NMR analyses allowed the origin of these by-products to be elucidated. Modification of one ethylenediamine end-group of perfect dendrimers into a cyclic imidazolidine moiety was induced by formaldehyde present at trace level in the methanol solvent used as the synthesis medium. Dendrimers studied here were purposely constructed from a triethanolamine core to make them more flexible, as compared to NH₃- or ethylenediamine-core PAMAM, and hence improve their interaction with DNA. Occurrence of this side-reaction would be favored by the particular flexibility of the dendrimer branches.     

A structural study of carbosilane dendrimers versus polyamidoamine

Several types of substituted carbosilane-based dendrimers are studied in comparison with polyamidoamine (PAMAM), using molecular mechanics approach, to evaluate the shape and steric interactions when the generation number (G) increases. A scaled van der Waals energy parameter: the scaled steric energy, is defined, and used, to compare the steric repulsion in these dendrimers. Our calculations indicate that the steric repulsions, between the end groups at the surface of dendrimers, do not increase for higher generations of such macromolecules. Density calculations show that this property decreases with the increase of G. The moment of inertia calculations show that the shape of the considered dendrimers is asymmetrical for lower generations and becomes spherical at higher generations. The shape of the carbosilane dendrimers is more spherical than PAMAM. The results show that higher generations can afford the increased number of terminal groups at the surface of the macromolecules, without increase of the density in this region, therefor these factors (steric repulsion between the end groups at the surface, or high density) would not impede the chemistry to build higher generations of completely branched dendrimers.     

树状大分子保护的CdS纳米粒子的合成与表征

以聚酰胺-胺型树状大分子（PAMAM）为保护剂,在水溶液中制备了不同粒径的CdS纳米粒子,分别考察了PAMAM的代数以及保护剂与CdS物质的量比对CdS纳米粒子大小及荧光性能的影响.利用紫外-可见光谱、荧光光谱、透射电子显微镜对其光学性能和结构进行了表征.     

Structure of star-burst dendrimers: a comparison between small angle x-ray scattering and computer simulation results

We investigated the generation dependent shape and internal structure of star-burst dendrimers under good solvent conditions using small angle x-ray scattering and molecular modeling. Measurements have been performed on poly(amidoamine) dendrimers with generations ranging from g=0 up to g=8 at low concentrations in methanol. We described the static form factor P(q) by a model taking into account the compact, globular shape as well as the loose, polymeric character of dendrimers. Monomer distributions within dendrimers are of special interest for potential applications and have been characterized by the pair correlation function gamma(r), as well as by the monomer and end-group density profile, rho(r) and rho(e)(r), respectively. Monomer density profiles and gamma(r) can be derived from P(q) by modeling and via a model independent approach using the inverse Fourier transformation algorithm first introduced by Glatter. Experimental results are compared with computer simulations performed for single dendrimers of various generations using the cooperative motion algorithm. The simulation gives direct access to gamma(r) and rho(r), allows an independent determination of P(q), and yields in addition to the scattering experiment information about the distribution of the end groups. Excellent qualitative agreement between experiment and simulation has been found.     

聚酰胺-胺树枝状高分子的柱色谱提纯研究

采用发散法合成了0.5～4.0代(G)聚酰胺-胺(PAMAM)树枝状高分子,通过薄层色谱分析产物组成,并进一步选用柱色谱法对半代产物进行了提纯与精制.用红外,核磁,高效液相色谱(HPLC)和热重分析等方法对提纯后产物进行了表征.结果表明,提纯得到的各PAMAM产物具有较完整的分子结构,小分子含量很少;且0.5GPAMAM产物HPLC测试纯度达到97.81%.     

溶剂对聚酰胺-胺树形分子模板法原位制备CdS量子点的影响

为了研究非配位型溶剂对聚酰胺-胺(PAMAM)树形分子的模板法制备CdS量子点的影响, 分别以水、甲醇及二者的混合物( ∶ ＝2∶1)为溶剂, 以4.5代PAMAM树形分子为模板制备了CdS量子点. 结果表明, 相同条件下, 以甲醇为溶剂时制备的CdS量子点为单晶, 平均直径2.7 nm, 尺寸分布窄, 发光强度高; 以水为溶剂制备的CdS量子点为多晶, 平均直径为5.7 nm, 尺寸分布宽, 发光强度低; 在甲醇与水的混合溶剂中制备的CdS量子点为单晶和多晶共存, 平均直径为4.1 nm, 尺寸分布及发光强度都居中. 这主要是由于树形分子的模板作用不同造成的. 树形分子在甲醇中能充分伸展, 起到内模板作用; 树形分子与水之间由双氢键作用而产生交联, 不利于Cd^2＋与树形分子内部基团的配位, 主要起到外模板作用; 在甲醇与水的混合溶剂中, 树形分子则同时起到了内模板和外模板作用.     

Morphological change of gold-dendrimer nanocomposites by laser irradiation

Gold-dendrimer nanocomposites are prepared in aqueous solutions in the presence of poly(amidoamine)dendrimers (PAMAM) (generation 3 and 5) or poly(propyleneimine)dendrimers (PPI) (generation 3 and 4) by wet chemical NaBH(4) method. Thus prepared gold-dendrimer nanocomposites are irradiated by laser at 532 nm. UV-vis absorption spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy reveal that the gold nanoparticles grow with the laser irradiation time as well as the fluence of the laser; in particular, the gold nanoparticles prepared at lower concentrations of PAMAM dendrimer as well as lower generations of PAMAM grow significantly. On the other hand, in the case of PPI dendrimers, the gold nanoparticles hardly grow by irradiation. In addition, dynamic light-scattering measurements show that the laser irradiation markedly promotes the association of the gold-PAMAM G3 dendrimer nanocomposites compared to that of the gold-PAMAM G5 dendrimer nanocomposites, while the sizes of association for the gold-PPI G3, G4 dendrimer nanocomposites hardly change by laser irradiation.     

Aggregation‐Controlled Excimer Emission from Anthracene‐Containing Polyamidoamine Dendrimers

Lower generations of polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers were peripherally modified with anthracene moieties, and excimer emission from anthracene chromophores was investigated in an acetonitrile–water mixture at acidic and basic pH values. Results from fluorescence spectroscopic experiments suggest that 1) the propensity of anthracene‐modified PAMAM dendrimers to aggregate in acetonitrile is substantial in the presence of 15–20 vol % of water, and 2) aggregate formation in anthracene‐modified PAMAM dendrimers leads to unique morphologies in the ground state, where the anthracene units are pre‐arranged to form stable excimers upon photoexcitation. Three types of anthracene excimers are generated in the system, with face‐to‐face, angular, and T‐shaped geometry. The formation of different types of anthracene excimers was confirmed by steady‐state and time‐resolved fluorescence spectroscopic experiments. Experimental results further suggest that it is feasible to alter the type of excimer formed by anthracene units attached to the PAMAM dendrimers through altering the propensity for ground‐state aggregation. Most excitingly, increased π conjugation in the molecular framework of anthracene‐substituted PAMAM dendrimers leads to intense and exclusive excimer emission from anthracene at room temperature.     

Interactions of 3, 3.5, 4, and 4.5 generations of poly(amido amine) dendrimer with cationic surfactants

The conductivity (κ), turbidity (τ), NMR, and Krafft temperature (T _K) studies have been carried out for hexadecylpyridinium bromide (HPyBr), hexadecylpyridinium chloride (HPyCl), and hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB) in the presence of 3G, 3.5G, 4G, and 4.5G generations of poly(amido amine) dendrimers (PAMAM) in aqueous phase. The cmc of all present surfactants were evaluated from κ and τ measurements, both in the presence as well as in the absence of PAMAM. The cmc values decrease in the presence of PAMAM in comparison to that in pure water, especially in the presence of amine terminated PAMAM. Krafft temperature values of pure surfactants also decrease in the presence of various generations of PAMAM. A comparison of all present results from different techniques indicates that HPyBr interacts more strongly with all generations of PAMAM rather than HPyCl and HTAB.     

Tunable emission of static excimer in a pyrene-modified polyamidoamine dendrimer aggregate through positive solvatochromism

Significant aggregation is observed in pyrene-modified zero- and first-generation polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers above their critical aggregation concentration (CAC, >10(-6) M). The pyrene units are attached to the dendrimer skeleton through imine bonds, which play a pivotal role in enhancing the aggregation propensity of the PAMAM dendrimers. Scanning electron microscopy studies suggest that pyrene-modified PAMAM dendrimers aggregate into doughnut-shaped assemblies. As a result of aggregation, the pyrene chromophores are pre-arranged in a face-to-face geometry in the ground state, and readily generate pyrene "static excimer" on photoexcitation. The static pyrene excimer emits with an unprecedented quantum yield of 0.62 ± 0.01 in dichloromethane, and also exhibits remarkable positive solvatochromism from 498 to 638 nm, which leads to the highest bathochromic shift for pyrene excimer emission in solution reported so far. Lippert-Mataga analysis of the system suggests that general and specific solvent effects play a crucial role in the positive solvatochromism exhibited by the system. Luminescence quenching studies on both monomer and aggregate systems were carried out in the presence of various metal ions, and the results imply that pyrene-modified PAMAM dendrimer can be utilized for selective detection of Hg ions in the presence of a wide variety of transition, alkali, and alkaline earth metal ions. This report presents the first dendrimer-based chromophoric system exhibiting positive solvatochromism over a range of 140 nm, and shows that pyrene-modified PAMAM dendrimers can be effectively utilized to generate wavelength-tunable emitting systems displaying bluish green, greenish yellow, and orange-red colors at room temperatures.