Physicochemical properties of quaternized poly(amidoamine) dendrimers with four octyl chains

A cationic dendrimer-type tetrameric surfactant (C(8)qbG0) with four octyl chains and four ammonium groups was synthesized by the reaction of poly(amidoamine) dendrimers with generation of zero and glycidyldimethyloctylammonium bromide. The physicochemical properties of C(8)qbG0 and of their mixtures with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) were characterized by investigating surface tension, electrical conductivity, fluorescence of pyrene, and dynamic light-scattering. The critical micelle concentration (cmc) of C(8)qbG0 was 13 mmol dm(-3) at the concentration of one terminal group and the surface tension at the cmc attained 34 mN m(-1). The occupied area of C(8)qbG0 was 1.94 nm(2) molecule(-1), indicating that the tetrameric dendrimers adsorb widely at the air/water interface. The fluorescence intensity ratio of the first-to-third band in the emission spectra of pyrene for C(8)qbG0 decreased from around the cmc obtained by the surface tension measurement. The hydrodynamic radius of C(8)qbG0 determined by dynamic light-scattering was about 1.3 nm. The addition of SDS to the aqueous solutions of C(8)qbG0 enhanced the surface activities; the mixtures exhibited lower cmc, lower surface tension, and higher solubilization of pyrene than SDS alone. It was found that the mixtures of C(8)qbG0 and SDS form large aggregates due to the interactions between their alkyl chains as well as hydrophilic groups.     

Capillary electrophoresis of polycationic poly(amidoamine) dendrimers

Generation 2 to generation 5 poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers having different terminal functionalities were analyzed by capillary electrophoresis (CE). Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was also used to assess the composition of the individual generations for comparison with the CE results. Separation of PAMAMs can be accomplished by either using uncoated silica or silanized silica capillaries, although reproducibility is poor using the uncoated silica capillary. To improve run-to-run reproducibility, silanized capillary was used and various internal standards were also tested. Relative and normalized migration times of primary amine terminated PAMAM dendrimers were then determined using 2,3-diaminopyridine (2,3-DAP) as an internal standard. Using silanized capillaries and internal standards, the relative and normalized migration times are fully reproducible and comparable between runs. Apparent dimensionless electrophoretic mobilities were determined and the results were compared to theoretical calculations. It is concluded that for PAMAMs a complex separation mechanism has to be considered in CE, where the movement of the ions is due to the electric field, but the separation is rather the consequence of the adsorption/desorption equilibria on the capillary wall ("electrokinetic capillary chromatography"). The described method may be used for quality control and may serve as an effective technique to analyze polycationic PAMAM dendrimers and their derivatives with different surface modifications.     

Rendering poly(amidoamine) or poly(propylenimine) dendrimers temperature sensitive

The poly(amidoamine) dendrimers having terminal isobutyramide (IBAM) groups were prepared by the reaction of isobutyric acid and the amine-terminated poly(amidoamine) dendrimers with generations (G) of 2 to 5 by using a condensing agent, 1,3-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. 1H and 13C NMR revealed that an IBAM group was attached to essentially every chain end of the dendrimers. While the IBAM-terminated G2 dendrimer was soluble in water, the IBAM-terminated G3, G4, and G5 dendrimers exhibited the lower critical solution temperatures (LCSTs) at 75, 61, and 43 degrees C, respectively. Because the density of the terminal IBAM groups in the periphery of the dendrimer progressively increases with increasing dendrimer generation, the interaction of the IBAM groups might take place more efficiently, resulting in a remarkable decrease in the LCST. In addition, attachment of IBAM groups to poly(propylenimine) dendrimers could give the temperature-sensitive property, indicating that this is an efficient method to render dendrimers temperature sensitive.     

Cinnamoyl shell‐modified poly(amidoamine) dendrimers

Poly(amidoamine)(PAMAM) dendrimers with a cinnamoyl shell were prepared by reacting full generation PAMAM dendrimers (G=3.0) with 2‐chloroethanol and cinnamoyl chloride, which resulted in densely packed polymerizable unsaturated groups on the periphery. The cinnamoyl shell of the dendrimers dimerized when irradiated under a UV light by using 5‐nitroacenaphthylene as an initiator in dilute dimethylformamide (DMF). FTIR, ¹H NMR, UV‐Vis, SEC, and a viscosity test certified that the photocycloaddition of the cinnamoyl shell of the dendrimers took place within the molecules with the disappearance of double bond signals in the FTIR. ¹H NMR spectra as well as the intrinsic viscosity and polydispersity value of the products both before and after irradiation showed no difference. It was further found that the cinnamoyl shell‐modified dendrimers possessed fluorescence property, and the fluorescence intensity became stronger when the shell was photocyclized under UV‐ irradiation. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 4147–4153, 2000     

Fluorescence studies of interactions of ionic surfactants with poly(amidoamine) dendrimers

The pyrene fluorescence measurements have been carried out for the micelle formation of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB), and dimethylene bis(dodecyldimethylammonium bromide) (12-2-12) in the presence of fixed different amounts of various generations of poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM). The critical micelle concentration (cmc) of SDS decreases with an increase in the fixed amount of PAMAM, suggesting the facilitation of micellization due to the participation of SDS-PAMAM complex in the micelle formation. This behavior has not been observed for DTAB/12-2-12 in the presence of various generations of PAMAM. The results indicate that SDS always has stronger interactions with all the generations of PAMAM in comparison to those of DTAB and 12-2-12.     

Photodegradation of poly(amidoamine) dendrimers peripherally modified with 1,8-naphthalimide units

This paper presents the photophysical and photochemical characteristics of four new poly(amidoamine) dendrimers of zero and second generation whose periphery has been modified with 1,8-naphthalimide units. Nitro- and allylamino groups have been used as substitutents at the C-4 position of the 1,8-naphthalimide fluorophores. The discussion is focused on the photodegradation of the dendrimers in N,N-dimethylformamide and dioxan solutions. Investigations have shown that the photodegradation of the dendrimers with 4-nitro substituted 1,8-naphthalimide proceed with yellow colour development in the solvent while no colour changes followed the same process in dendrimers with allylamino group substituent. The results also show that the photostability of the dendrimers depends on their generation.     

Fragmentation of poly(amidoamine) dendrimers in matrix-assisted laser desorption

Fragmentation of different generations of poly(amidoamine) dendrimers was explored in five common MALDI matrices: 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB), 4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamic acid (FER), α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (ACH), 2,4,6-trihydroxyacetophenone (THAP), and 3-hydroxypicolinic acid (HPA). Of these, DHB was the softest matrix and ACH produced significant fragment intensity already at MALDI threshold, FER and THAP being in between. HPA was not a convenient matrix for dendrimers and produced a specific fragmentation pattern. Fragmentation analysis was mainly concentrated on generation G1, which contains already all essential structural elements. Dendrimers showed complicated fragmentation behavior with multiple fragmentation channels in our MALDI experiments. The relative intensities of these channels depended selectively on choice of the matrix and showed dissimilar dependence on the laser pulse energy. This was attributed to different fragmentation mechanisms, due to different protonation pathways, occurring in the same MALDI plume. The fragmentation pathways were proposed for all observed fragmentation channels. All fragmentation sites of protonated ions were found to be directly attached to the protonation sites and the fragmentation was surplus charge driven in this sense. No charge remote fragmentation channels were detected. Cationized dendrimers showed higher stability than the protonated ions.     

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.     

Organic solvent nanofiltration for microfluidic purification of poly(amidoamine) dendrimers

A nanofiltration method has been developed in a microfluidic format for the continuous-flow pressure-driven purification of half-generation poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers, a family of macromolecules characterized by highly branching structures radiating from a central core, without additional solvents or buffers. An organic solvent resistant nanofiltration membrane, STARMEM 122, has been fully integrated into a hard polymer microfluidic module by transmission laser welding. The membrane was initially characterized in a bench-top test fixture to determine the solvent permeance and percent rejection of a surrogate molecule, Rhodamine B, at lower than typical operating pressures (P<7 bar). The microfluidic module then underwent similar testing at 1.4 bar with the surrogate and with the generation-0.5 PAMAM dendrimer. This approach to nanofiltration will readily interface to upstream microreactors.     

Physicochemical properties of quaternized poly(amidoamine) dendrimers with alkyl groups and of their mixtures with sodium dodecyl sulfate

The physicochemical properties of quaternized poly(amidoamine) dendrimers (generation 4) with methyl or octyl groups and of their mixtures with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in aqueous solutions have been investigated using several techniques including surface tension, fluorescence of pyrene, and dynamic light scattering. In the single systems of the dendrimers, the dendrimer with octyl groups shows lower surface tension and lower micropolarity than the dendrimer with methyl groups. The hydrodynamic radii of two quaternized poly(amidoamine) dendrimers are considerably large, indicating the formation of aggregates. In the mixed systems of quaternized poly(amidoamine) dendrimers and SDS, the dendrimer with octyl groups-SDS mixed system shows very low surface tension and low micropolarity even in the presence of extremely low SDS concentration compared to those of the dendrimer with methyl groups-SDS mixed system. Maximum turbidity for both systems is observed at around the mixed molar ratio of dendrimer:SDS=1:1.5 where distinct changes have also been confirmed by surface tension, fluorescence of pyrene, and electrical conductivity measurements.     

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.     

Voltammetric behavior of poly(amidoamine) dendrimers containing nitroxyl radical end groups

A series of fully functionalized poly(amidoamine) dendrimers with 4-carboxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yloxyl end groups were prepared. Cyclic voltammetric studies indicated that the pendant nitroxyl radical end groups are non-interacting electrochemically equivalent redox centers, which are oxidizable at the same potential. The results of controlled-potential electrolysis of the dendrimers showed that all the nitroxyl radical groups at the periphery of the dendrimers are accessible to the electrode surface for electron transfer.     

Interaction forces between poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers adsorbed on gold surfaces

Interaction forces between two gold surfaces with adsorbed poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers (generations G3.0 and G5.0) have been investigated using colloidal probe atomic force microscopy (AFM). In the absence of dendrimers or at their low concentrations, an attractive force derived from the van der Waals interaction was observed. On the other hand, this attractive interaction changed to repulsion with increasing dendrimer concentration. The origin of the repulsion can be attributed to either an electric double layer interaction or a steric effect of the adsorbed dendrimers, depending on the concentration of dendrimer. The steric hindrance was also influenced by the generation of the dendrimer; the force-detectable distance in the presence of PAMAM G5.0 dendrimer was slightly longer than that in the presence of G3.0 dendrimer. In order to estimate the occupied area of each dendrimer adsorbed on gold, quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) measurement was also carried out.     

Structural deviations in poly(amidoamine) dendrimers: a MALDI-TOF MS analysis

A step-by-step synthesis/purification (CC, HILIC, HPLC) of poly(amidoamine) PAMAM dendrimers was performed. MALDI-TOF MS in the linear and reflectron mode was used to analyze the purified samples and byproduct samples of G0-G5 generations of the dendrimers up to the mass of 35 000 Da. DHB/fucose was found to give the best resolution, causing the least fragmentation of the samples. The precise mass number for the ideally branched dendrimers and their “structural errors” was obtained. The profile of the structural errors was established.     

Chemical and ecotoxicological assessment of poly(amidoamine) dendrimers in the aquatic environment

Poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers are attracting great interest as a consequence of their unique properties as carriers of active molecules in aqueous media, as we expect their presence in the environment to be widespread in the future.In this article, we focus on the analytical methods to characterize and to determine these polymeric materials in waters and on their ecotoxicity for aquatic organisms. We review physical characterization techniques (e.g., light scattering, electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy) and analytical techniques, mainly based on liquid chromatography, so as to consider their main capabilities, advantages and drawbacks. We assessed the toxicity of certain PAMAM dendrimers for the green alga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata by determining the EC₅₀ and correlating it with the ζ-potential.     

Controlled interparticle spacing through self-assembly of Au nanoparticles and poly(amidoamine) dendrimers

Control of particle-particle spacing is a key determinant of optical, electronic, and magnetic properties of nanocomposite materials. We have used poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers to assemble carboxylic acid-functionalized mixed monolayer protected clusters (MMPCs) through acid/base chemistry between the particle and dendrimer. Small angle X-ray scattering was then used to establish average inter-MMPC distances. Five generations of PAMAM dendrimer (0, 1, 2, 4, 6) were investigated, with a monotonic increase in interparticle spacing from 4.1 to 6.1 nm observed with increasing generation.     

ESR and NMR studies of poly (amidoamine) dendrimers with ionic surfactants in different media

The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) study has been carried out for the micellar solutions of various ionic surfactant solutions as well as various generations of aqueous dendrimer both in their respective presence as well as their absence at 25°C and in different media. From these measurements, the rotation correlation time (τ_B) have been calculated for all the ionic surfactant + PAMAM + water system. A variation in the τ_Bvalue remains mostly constant for the dodecyltrimethyammonium bromide (DTAB) and tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB) + PAMAM + water ternary mixtures. The τ_Bvalue shows an increase with the increase in the amount of PAMAM for SDS in basic medium and for 12-2-12 in acidic medium. It has been concluded from these results that SDS undergo complexation with all generations of PAMAM in basic medium and 12-2-12 in acidic medium and produce stronger hydrophobic environment. The nuclear magnetic resonance study (NMR) allowed us to evaluate the spin–spin relaxation (T₁) times of SDS in the presence of all generations of PAMAM. The T₁ values for all the tail protons of SDS showed a slight decrease with the increase in the constant amount of PAMAM suggesting the adsorption of PAMAM molecules on the micelle surface.