Novel nanostructured dendrimer based on 1,3-bis(4,6-dichloro-1,3,5-triazine-2-yl)urea as an excellent adsorbent for Pb2+, Ni2+, Co2+ and Zn2+ metal ions

Human health is seriously harmed by the consumption of poor-quality water. Due to high toxicity and water solubility, heavy metals are present in wastewater discharged from numerous industries. In the environmental realm, metal-containing water must be treated before being released. A dendrimer is a superior adsorbent for the removal of heavy metal ions due to its nanostructure and hydrophilic end group. In this work, a novel triazine-based hydroxy-terminated dendrimer up to generation three is designed employing a carbamide core. The dendrimer's structure was explored using FT-IR and ¹H NMR studies. Full generation dendrimers UG1.0, UG2.0, and UG3.0 were utilized as an adsorbent for Pb²⁺, Ni²⁺, Co²⁺ and Zn²⁺ metal ion removal from water in a series of tests. The ability of dendrimers to uptake Pb²⁺, Ni²⁺, Co²⁺ and Zn²⁺ metal ions was investigated under various pH, time interval and dendrimer generation parameters. The presence of metal in the dendrimer was confirmed by FT-IR studies of dendrimer-metal complexes. The overall results show that Pb²⁺, Ni²⁺, Co²⁺ and Zn²⁺ metal ions uptake increases with the generation, time, and pH.     

Dendrimers as Nd3+ ligands: Effect of Generation on the Efficiency of the Sensitized Lanthanide Emission

We have designed two novel dendrimers with cyclam cores with appended poly(amido amine) (PAMAM) dendrons, decorated at the periphery with four and eight dansyl chromophores, respectively. The photophysical properties of the dendrimers and their Nd³⁺ complexes have been investigated. The energy‐transfer efficiency to the lanthanide ions from these dendrimers has been studied as a function of the generation. It has been observed that an increase in the dendrimer generation as well as the number of amide units enhances the energy transfer to the lanthanide ion.     

Electron capture dissociation and collision-induced dissociation of metal ion (Ag+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Fe2+, and Fe3+) complexes of polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers

The electron capture dissociation (ECD) and collision-induced dissociation (CID) of complexes of polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers with metal ions Ag⁺, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Fe²⁺, and Fe³⁺ were determined by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. Complexes were of the form [PD + M + mH]⁵⁺ where PD = generation two PAMAM dendrimer with amidoethanol surface groups, M = metal ion, m = 2−4. Complementary information regarding the site and coordination chemistry of the metal ions can be obtained from the two techniques. The results suggest that complexes of Fe³⁺ and Cu²⁺ are coordinated via both core tertiary amines, whereas coordination of Ag⁺ involves a single core tertiary amine. The Zn²⁺ and Fe²⁺ complexes do not appear to involve coordination by the dendrimer core.     

Deep‐red light‐emitting phosphorescent dendrimer encapsulated tris‐[2‐benzo[b]thiophen‐2‐yl‐pyridyl] iridium (III) core for light‐emitting device applications

New deep‐red light‐emitting phosphorescent dendrimers with hole‐transporting carbazole dendrons were synthesized by reacting tris(2‐benzo[b]thiophen‐2‐yl‐pyridyl) iridium (III) complex with carbazolyl dendrons by DCC‐catalyzed esterification. The resulting first‐, second‐, and third‐generation dendrimers were found to be highly efficient as solution‐processable emitting materials and for use in host‐free electrophosphorescent light‐emitting diodes. We fabricated a host‐free dendrimer EL device with configuration ITO/PEDOT:PSS (40 nm)/dendrimer (55 nm)/BCP (10 nm)/Alq₃ (40 nm)/LiF (1 nm)/Al (100 nm) and characterized the device performance. The multilayered devices showed luminance of 561 cd/m² at 383.4 mA/cm² (12 V) for 15 , 1302 cd/m² at 321.3 mA/cm² (14 V) for 16 , and 422 cd/m² at 94.4 mA/cm² (18 V) for 17 . The third‐generation dendrimer, 17 (η_ext = 6.12% at 7.5 V), showed the highest external quantum efficiency (EQE) with an increase in the density of the light‐harvesting carbazole dendron. Three dendrimers exhibited considerably pure deep‐red emission with CIE 1931 (Commission International de L'Eclairage) chromaticity coordinates of x = 0.70, y = 0.30. The CIE coordinates remained very stable with the current density. The integration of rigid hole‐transporting dendrons and phosphorescent complexes provides a new route to design highly efficient solution‐processable materials for dendrimer light‐emitting diode (DLED) applications. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 7517–7533, 2008     

Syntheses and nickel coordination properties of cyclen substituted with mixed stilbene/poly(ethylene glycol) dendritic arms

We synthesized a series of cyclens substituted with mixed stilbene and poly(ethylene glycol) dendritic arms. All dendrimers terminated with different peripheral groups had good solubility in common organic solvents, and dendrimers terminated with ? CO₂H groups (CO₂H‐dendrimers) were also soluble in alkaline solutions. The nickel coordination properties of these dendrimers were investigated in organic solvents. Dendrimers terminated with ? CN groups (CN‐dendrimers) and the second‐generation CO₂H‐dendrimer [(CO₂H)₈L2] could produce pentacoordinated nickel complexes; the third‐generation CO₂H‐dendrimer [(CO₂H)₁₆L3] could form tetra‐ and pentacoordinated nickel complexes, and the nickel complex of the fourth‐generation CO₂H‐dendrimer [(CO₂H)₃₂L4] could not be obtained. This result was due to the fact that the globular surface of (CO₂H)₁₆L3 formed a hydrogen‐bond network that selectively penetrated cations and inhibited the access of anions to the core. The formation of the hydrogen‐bond network was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared, ¹H NMR, and fluorescence data. The CN‐dendrimers could not form hydrogen bonds on the surface, and the first‐ and second‐generation CO₂H‐dendrimers could not form intramolecular hydrogen‐bond networks. Therefore, they had no selectivity for positive nickel ions and negative chloride ions. (CO₂H)₃₂L4 could not produce a nickel complex because it had a crammed backbone structure that could not penetrate nickel and chloride ions. Therefore, it was possible to control the ion access of cations and anions with the hydrogen‐bond network of (CO₂H)₁₆L3. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 5414–5428, 2005     

Synthesis and catalytic activities of Pd-phosphine complexes modified poly(ether imine) dendrimers

In this paper, we report synthesis of new alkyldiphenyl phosphine ligand modified poly(ether imine) dendrimers up to the third generation. The phosphinated dendrimers were obtained by functional group transformations of the alcohols present at the periphery of the dendrimers to chloride, followed by phosphination using LiPPh₂. The modification at the peripheries of the dendrimers was performed successfully to obtain up to 16 alkyl diphenylphosphines in the case of a third generation dendrimer, in good yields for each individual step. After phosphination, dendritic ligands were complexed with Pd(COD)Cl₂ to give dendritic phosphine-Pd^II complexes. Both the ligands and the metal complexes were characterized by spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques including high-resolution mass spectral analysis for the lower generations. Evaluation of the catalytic efficacies of the dendrimer-Pd^II metal complexes in mediating a prototypical C-C bond forming reaction, namely the Heck reaction, was performed using various olefin substrates. While the substrate conversion lowered with catalyst in the order from monomer to third generation dendrimer, the second and third generation dendrimers themselves were found to exhibit significantly better catalytic activities than the monomer and the first generation dendrimer.     

Shape‐Persistent Oligothienylene–Ethynylene‐Based Dendrimers: Synthesis,Spectroscopy and Electrochemical Characterization

A series of novel structurally well‐defined oligothienylene–ethynylene‐based dendritic macromolecules up to the 3rd generation (G3) were successfully synthesized by a combination of Pd‐catalyzed Sonogashira‐type cross‐coupling and oxidative homocoupling steps. Oxidative homocoupling of dendrons successfully afforded dendrimers up to the 2nd generation (G2). In contrast, the G3 dendrimer was effectively prepared by a four‐fold Sonogashira‐type cross‐coupling reaction. All compounds showed broad and structureless absorption and emission spectra arising from the presence of different π‐conjugated chromophores. With increasing generation, a bathochromic shift of the π–π* absorption band and an increase of the absorption coefficient were observed. The insertion of ethynylene groups into the conjugated dendrimer backbone resulted in a hypsochromic shift compared to all‐thiophene dendrimers reported earlier by our group. All dendritic compounds are fluorescent and showed moderate quantum efficiencies due to an effective intramolecular charge‐transfer (ICT) process. Cyclic voltammetry measurements also revealed the presence of multiple π‐conjugative pathways that show very broad oxidation waves for higher generations. HOMO–LUMO energy levels of these dendrons and dendrimers were estimated from optical and redox measurements and the calculated band gaps were within the range of 3.3 to 2.4 eV, typical for oligo‐ and polythiophenes. Electrochemical polymerizations of several desilylated compounds were performed and characterization of the films is reported. Preliminary bulk heterojunction solar cells that utilise these ethynylated dendrimers as the donor and [6,6]‐phenyl‐C₆₁‐butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM[60]) as the acceptor showed moderate efficiencies ranging from 0.18–0.64 %.     

A new colorimetric and fluorimetric sensor for metal cations based on poly(propilene amine) dendrimer modified with 1,8-naphthalimide

A new fluorescent first generation poly(propylene amine) dendrimer (PPI), peripherally modified with 4(butylamino-substituted-1,8-naphthalimide), has been synthesized and characterized. Its photophysical characteristics in organic solvents of different polarities were studied, and the influence of sodium hydroxide on its spectral characteristics in N,N-dimethylformamide is discussed. The complexes formed between the dendrimer and metal cations in solution have been studied with regard to the potential applications of the new dendrimer as a colorimetric and fluorescent sensor for metal ions. The fluorescence intensity of the dendrimer in the presence of metal cations (Zn²⁺, Co²⁺, Pb²⁺, Mn²⁺, Cu²⁺ and Fe³⁺) increases substantially revealing its sensor potential.     

SiO2–poly(amidoamine) dendrimer inorganic/organic hybrids

SiO₂–poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer hybrids were synthesized via (1) a Michael addition reaction between the dendrimer and 3‐(trimethoxysilyl) propyl acrylate, (2) the dissolution of the formed compound in methanol, and (3) the mixing of the latter solution with a methanol solution of partly hydrolyzed tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and its casting on a glass substrate. ¹H NMR indicated that in the first step, 77% of the secondary amines were converted into tertiary amines when the fourth‐generation dendrimer was employed and 46% were converted when the second‐generation dendrimer was used. The final SiO₂–PAMAM dendrimer hybrids were obtained via the hydrolysis and condensation of the compound obtained via the Michael addition and the methanol solution of partly hydrolyzed TEOS. The compartmentalized structure of the hybrids due to the compartments of the dendrimers could be controlled by changing the dendrimer and the amount of TEOS. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy micrographs provided information about the structure of the hybrids. Like the PAMAM dendrimer, the SiO₂–PAMAM dendrimer hybrids exhibited a high metal ion complexing capacity because of the presence of the compartments of the dendrimer; they can be, however, much more easily handled, and, as demonstrated by thermogravimetric experiments, have much higher thermal resistance. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 1443–1449, 2000     

Synthesis and characterization of a ligand‐substituted poly(amidoamine) dendrimer with external terpyridine units and its iron(II) complexes

The ligand‐substituted poly(amido amine) dendrimer 2 containing terpyridine ligands located exclusively at the peripheries of the dendrimer and its iron‐containing dendrimer 3 have been synthesized using modification reactions. Cyclic voltammetric studies indicate that the external iron centers on the outer surface of the dendrimer are electrochemically equivalent. The treatment of 2 with Fe²⁺ ions leads to a dendrimer assembly due to the formation of iron complexes among the ligand‐substituted dendrimers.     

A Light‐Harvesting Antenna Resulting from the Self‐Assembly of Five Luminescent Components: A Dendrimer,Two Clips,and Two Lanthanide Ions

We have investigated the self‐assembly of three luminescent species in CH₃CN/CH₂Cl₂, namely: 1) a polylysin dendrimer ( D ) composed of 21 aliphatic amide units and 24 green luminescent dansyl chromophores at the periphery, 2) a molecular clip ( C ) with two blue luminescent anthracene sidewalls and a benzene bridging unit that bears two sulfate groups in the para position, and 3) a near infrared (NIR)‐emitting Nd³⁺ ion. For purposes of comparison, analogous systems have also been investigated in which Gd³⁺ replaced Nd³⁺. The dendrimer and the clip can bind Nd³⁺ ions with formation of [ D? 2 Nd³⁺] and [ C? Nd³⁺] complexes, in which energy transfer from dansyl and, respectively, anthracene to Nd³⁺ ion takes place with 65 and 8 % efficiency, in air‐equilibrated solution. In the case of [ C? Nd³⁺], the energy‐transfer efficiency is quenched by dioxygen, thereby showing that the energy donor is the lowest triplet excited state of anthracene. In [ D? 2 Nd³⁺] the intrinsic emission efficiency of Nd³⁺ is much higher (ca. 5 times) than in [ C? Nd³⁺] because of a better protection of the excited lanthanide ion towards nonradiative deactivation caused by interaction with solvent molecules. By mixing solutions of D , Nd³⁺, and C with proper concentrations, a supramolecular structure with five components of three different species, [ D? 2 Nd³⁺ ? 2 C ], is formed. The excitation light absorbed by the clips is transferred with 100 % efficiency to the dansyl units of the dendrimer and then to the Nd³⁺ ions with 65 % efficiency either in the presence or absence of dioxygen. These results show that the [ D? 2 Nd³⁺ ? 2 C ] complex is able to efficiently harvest UV light by the 24 dansyl units of the dendrimer and the four anthracene chromophores of the two clips, and efficiently transfer it to the encapsulated Nd³⁺ ions that emit in the NIR spectral region.     

Bipolar Heteroleptic Green Iridium Dendrimers Containing Oligocarbazole and Oxadiazole Dendrons for Bright and Efficient Nondoped Electrophosphorescent Devices

Bipolar heteroleptic green light‐emitting iridium (Ir) dendrimers G(OXD) and G(DOXD) have been designed and synthesized under mild conditions in high yields, in which the first C^N and second O^O ligands are functionalized with oligocarbazole‐ and oxadiazole‐based dendrons, respectively. To avoid affecting the optical properties of the emissive iridium core, all the functional moieties are attached to the ligands through a flexible spacer. Compared with the unipolar dendrimer G(acac ), dendrimers G(OXD) and G(DOXD) exhibit the close emission maxima of 511–512 nm and photoluminescence quantum yield of 0.39–0.40 in a solution of toluene. Moreover, on going from G(acac) to G(OXD) and G(DOXD) , we have found that the introduction of oxadiazole fragments decreases the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy levels to facilitate the electron injection and electron transporting, while their highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy levels remain unchanged. This means that, we can individually tune the HOMO and LUMO energy levels based on the heteroleptic structure to ensure the relative independence between the hole and electron in the emitting layer (EML), which is a favorable feature for bipolar optoelectronic materials. As a result, a bilayer nondoped electrophosphorescent device with G(DOXD) as the EML gives a maximum luminous efficiency of 25.5 cd A⁻¹ (η_ext: 7.4 %) and a brightness of 33 880 cd m⁻². In comparison to G(acac) (17.2 cd A⁻¹, 17 680 cd m⁻²), both the efficiency and brightness are improved by about 1.5 and 2 times, respectively. These state‐of‐the‐art performances indicate the potential of these bipolar heteroleptic iridium dendrimers as solution‐processible emitting materials for nondoped device applications.     

Dendritic Iron Porphyrins with a Tethered Axial Ligand as New Model Compounds for Heme Monooxygenases

The novel iron(III) porphyrin dendrimers of generation zero ([ 1 ⋅Fe^III]Cl), one ([ 2 ⋅Fe^III]Cl), and two ([ 3 ⋅Fe^III]Cl) (Fig. 1) were prepared (Schemes 1 and 3) as models of heme monooxygenases. They feature controlled axial ligation at the Fe center by one imidazole tethered to the porphyrin core and possess a vacant coordination site available for ligand binding and catalysis. The high purity of the dendrimers and the absence of structural defects was demonstrated by matrix‐assisted laser‐desorption‐ionization time‐of‐flight (MALDI‐TOF) mass spectrometry (Fig. 3). The electronic properties of the Fe^III porphyrin dendrimers and comparison compounds [ 4 ⋅Fe^III]Cl and [ 12 ⋅Fe^III(1,2‐Me₂Im)]Cl (1,2‐Me₂Im=1,2‐dimethylimidazole) were investigated by UV/VIS and EPR (electronic paramagnetic resonance) spectroscopy, as well as by measurements of the magnetic moments by the Evans‐Scheffold method. Epoxidation of olefins and oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides, catalyzed by the new dendritic metalloporphyrins, were investigated in CH₂Cl₂ with iodosylbenzene as the oxidant (Tables 1 and 2). The total turnover numbers were found to increase with the size of the dendrimer, due to improved catalyst stability at higher dendritic generations (Figs. 4 and 5). The second‐generation complex [ 3 ⋅Fe^III]Cl was, therefore, the most efficient catalyst in the series, despite the fact that its active site is considerably hindered by the encapsulation inside the sterically demanding, fluctuating dendritic wedges. Very high product selectivities were observed in all oxidation reactions, regardless of dendrimer generation.     

Fine control of the release and encapsulation of Fe ions in dendrimers through ferritin-like redox switching

Numerous dendrimers incorporating metal ions or clusters have received much attention as catalytic and drug delivery materials. We expanded the variety of metal ions that complex with DPA through a radial stepwise complexation to create novel organic-inorganic hybrid materials. As one of the most common and significant iron ions, Fe3+ was used. It was confirmed that iron ions, FeCl3, are coordinated to the imine groups of a spherical phenylazomethine dendrimer (DPA) in a stepwise radial fashion, which should make it possible to control the number and location of the Fe3+ ions incorporated into the dendrimers. Iron possesses very interesting properties such as magnetism, redox chemistry, and catalysis and is also one of the essential elements of our body. Here, we show the first successful attempt to control the biomimetic switching of iron ions' release/encapsulation in the dendrimer driven by their redox response of the Fe2+/Fe3+ couple, which might find uses as a drug delivery system.     

Crowned dendron: ion-responsive flexibility of macromolecules induced by integrated crown ether moieties

Polybenzyl ether type dendrons bearing the crown ether moieties at the periphery, namely, crowned dendrons were synthesized, and the effect of complex formation on their flexibility with metal-ion binding properties was examined. Upon addition of Na⁺, ¹H NMR spectra of the crowned dendrons in CD₃CN were significantly broadened, reflecting the flexibility restriction of the crowned dendrons by the complex formation with Na⁺. Such a significant flexibility restriction was observed only with Na⁺, although ESI-MS studies revealed that the crowned dendrons formed 1:2 complexes (a metal ion:the crown ether moiety) regardless of the kind of metal ions. The flexibility restriction became significant with increasing dendron generation on the basis of ¹H NMR spectra and spin-lattice relaxation time (T₁) measurements. Binding constants of the crowned dendrons with metal ions in CD₃CN decreased with the increase of the dendron generation, reflecting an influence of the charge repulsion as well as a dendrimer effect to cause the steric hindrance. The examination of UV-vis absorption spectra for complexes of the crowned dendron with metal picrates in THF displayed the formation of a loose ion-pair complex with Na⁺, namely, a typical sandwich type complex. However, in CH₃CN, all metal picrates were solvated to be in a loose ion-pair even without complex formation. These results suggested that the control of macromolecular flexibility with metal ions is feasible by the integration of crown ether moieties with a dendritic structure.     

Sensor activity, photodegradation and photostabilisation of a PAMAM dendrimer comprising 1,8-naphthalimide functional groups in its periphery

The colouristic and fluorescent characteristics of a new composite material based on a PAMAM dendrimer of second generation whose periphery is modified with 4-N,N-dimethylaminoethylamino-1,8-naphthalimide and polyamide-6 have been investigated. This dendrimer has been investigated with regard to its application as a heterogenic sensor capable of detecting metal cations and protons in aqueous solutions. In the presence of metal cations (Ni²⁺, Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺ and Co²⁺) and protons the fluorescence intensity of the composite increases due to their coordination with dendrimer molecule. The results obtained reveal the capacity of this system to act as a sensitive sensor of environmental pollution by metal cations and protons. It has been shown that in N,N-dimethylformamide solution the metal cations inhibit the processes of photodegradation of the dendrimer.     

Reaction of Amino-Terminated PAMAM Dendrimers with Carbon Dioxide in Aqueous and Methanol Solutions

Polyamines have been used as active materials to capture carbon dioxide gas based on its well-known reaction with amines to form carbamates. This work investigates the reactions between three amino-terminated poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers (G1, G3 and G5) and CO₂(g) in aqueous (D₂O) and methanolic (CD₃OD) solutions. The reactions were monitored using ¹H NMR spectroscopy, and yielded dendrimers with a combination of terminal carbamate and terminal ammonium groups. In aqueous media the reaction was complicated by the generation of soluble carbonate and bicarbonate ions. The reaction was cleaner in CD₃OD, where the larger G5 dendrimer solution formed a gel upon exposure to CO₂(g). All reactions were reversible, and the trapped CO₂ could be released by treatment with N₂(g) and mild heating. These results highlight the importance of the polyamine dendrimer size in terms of driving changes to the solution’s physical properties (viscosity, gel formation) generated by exposure to CO₂(g).     

新型树枝功能化萘酰亚胺类发光材料的合成及其光放大效应

在树枝(dendron)上引入特定的功能单元,将多个具有特定功能团(咔唑)连接起来．形成功能化树枝状周边分子团簇,然后将它们分别与核心色素萘酰亚胺相连接,合成新型周边树枝状功能化的有机发光材料(共三代)。稳态荧光研究发现周边功能团吸收的能量能以较高的效率传递给中心核色素萘酰亚胺。其传输效率与化合物的树枝代数密切相关,具有特殊的光采集、光放大效应。瞬态荧光研究表明树枝化合物中的咔唑单元都呈双指数衰减特征,其中较短荧光寿命成分是咔唑和萘酰亚胺单元之间的相互作用。     

Dendritic effects of crown ether-functionalized dendrimers on the solvent extraction of metal ions

The ability of a series of crown ether-functionalized dendrimers to function as alkali metal picrate extraction agents is assessed by liquid-liquid extraction and ¹H NMR titration experiments. Crown ether-functionalized dendrimers that contain Fréchet-type poly(benzyl ether) dendrons of different generation as building blocks display different extraction characteristics toward alkali metal cations. Positive and negative dendritic effects depending on the generation of the dendrimer are assigned in the complexation behaviour of the dendritic host compounds.     

Structure of Charged Poly(propylene imine) Dendrimers: Theoretical Investigation

A mean‐field model for charged dendrimers has been elaborated and applied to Astramol dendrimers of 5^th generation in salt‐free solution. The free energy of a dendrimer molecule was minimized with respect to the dendrimer size and to the profile of counterion distribution. The model of highly stretched freely jointed chain was used to describe the elasticity of long branches, the dissociated groups were assumed to be localized mostly on the periphery of the molecule, and the electrostatic interactions were described in the Poisson‐Boltzmann approximation. It was found that the osmotic pressure of counterions leads to moderate expansion of dendrimer molecules upon charging, and a significant fraction of counterions is localized within the dendrimer molecule under typical experimental conditions.

The schematic structure of poly(propylene imine) dendrimers for the 4^th generation.