Dielectric relaxation in carbosilane dendrimers with cyanobiphenyl end groups

Carbosilane dendrimers of generation 1 and 2 are functionalized with mesogenic end groups (cyanobiphenyl) via spacers of 5 and 11 carbons. The dielectric relaxation is measured over broad frequency (1 Hz–1 GHz) and temperature (170–470 K) ranges. Two relaxation regimes are observed and characterized as δ and β relaxation. The δ relaxation is nearly a single Debye process and varies strongly with temperature. The S_E to S_A transition observed for the dendrimers with long spacers causes a jump in the relaxation rate of the δ process. The β process displays an Arrhenius-type temperature dependence with an activation energy of 35 kJ/mol. The relaxation time depends on spacer length. The dielectric relaxation reflects the mutual distortion of the dendrimer scaffold and the smectic layers. Received: 9 June 1999 Accepted in revised form: 21 July 1999     

Thermodynamics of a seventh generation carbosilane dendrimer with phenylic substituent on the initial branching center and terminal butyl groups

The temperature dependence of the heat capacity of carbosilane dendrimer of the seventh generation of series 3 × 3 with phenylic substituent on the initial branching center and terminal butyl groups was studied by the methods of precision adiabatic vacuum calorimetry and differential scanning calorimetry over the temperature range T = 7–580 K for the first time. Physical transformations in the above temperature range were detected and their standard thermodynamic characteristics estimated and analyzed. The experimental results were used to calculate standard thermodynamic functions C _p ^∘(T), H ^∘(T)-H ^∘(0), S ^∘(T)-S ^∘(0), and G ^∘(T)-H ^∘(0) (0) over the range T → 0–580 K and standard entropy of formation of dendrimer at T = 298.15 K. The thermodynamic properties of carbosilane dendrimers of the seventh generation of series 4 × 3 with terminal butyl groups and the samples studied in this work were compared.     

Synthesis of a carbosilane dendrimer with the functional inner shell

The carbosilane dendrimer of the fifth generation with the functional inner and nonfunctional outer shells in the molecular structure was synthesized for the first time. The efficiency of the hybrid scheme of carbosilane dendrimer synthesis based on the use of organomagnesium and organolithium reagents at different steps of molecular structure formation and hydrosilylation was shown.     

Synthesis,structure, and phase behavior of carbosilane LC dendrimers with terminal butoxyphenylbenzoate mesogenic groups

Two series of carbosilane LC dendrimers with terminal protonated and deuterated butoxyphenylbenzoate mesogenic groups linked to carbosilane dendritic matrices of the first to fifth generations via an undecylene spacer have been synthesized. The chemical structure of new dendrimers has been studied by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and gel-permeation chromatography. The dendrimers of first-fourth generations are characterized by formation of the smectic C mesophase in a wide temperature range, whereas much more complex columnar supramolecular structures are formed in dendrimers of the fifth generation. Structural studied of mesophases by X-ray diffraction and small-angle neutron scattering show that segregation takes place in mixtures of deuterated and protonated LC dendrimers; as a result, huge aggregates composed of hundreds of chemically unbound molecules develop and the sizes of these aggregates reversibly change with temperature.     

Carbosilane dendrimer of second generation with terminal methoxyundecylenate groups

The thermodynamic properties of carbosilane dendrimer of second generation with terminal methoxyundecylene groups were studied between 6 and 340 K by adiabatic vacuum calorimetry: the temperature dependence of the molar heat capacity C_p ⁰ was measured, the physical transformations were established and their thermodynamic characteristics were obtained. The experimental data were used to calculate the thermodynamic functions C_p ⁰ (T), H ⁰(T)-H ⁰(0), S⁰(T), G ⁰(T)-H ⁰(0) of the compound in the range 0 to 340 K. from the relation C_p ⁰ (T) the fractal dimension of the dendrimer was experimentally determined. The heat capacity of the dendrimer was compared with the corresponding additive values calculated from the properties of its constituents - a dendritic matrix (carbosilane dendrimer of second generation) and the corresponding amount of moles of methyl ester of 11-(tetramethyldisiloxy)undecanoic acid serving as terminal groups. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Kerr effect in solutions of carbosilane dendrimers with terminal mesogenic groups

First results of investigations of electro-optical properties of liquid crystalline (LC) dendrimers in solution are presented. Measurements of electric birefringence (Kerr effect) and dielectric polarization of first generation carbosilane dendrimers with different ester linked terminal mesogenic groups (cholesteryl, cyanobiphenylyl and 4-methoxyphenyl benzoate) have been carried out using dilute solutions in CCl4. The results show that the dielectric polarization is proportional to the second power of the electric field in accordance with Kerr law. The Kerr constants calculated are close to those of the low molar mass analogues of the corresponding mesogenic groups. Thus the electric birefringence of the LC dendrimer solutions is mainly determined by the electro-optical properties of their terminal mesogenic groups oriented in the electric field independently of the main chain.     

Thermodynamic properties of a liquid crystal carbosilane dendrimer

The temperature dependence of the heat capacity of a first-generation liquid crystal carbosilane dendrimer with methoxyphenyl benzoate end groups is studied for the first time in the region of 6–370 K by means of precision adiabatic vacuum calorimetry. Physical transformations are observed in this interval of temperatures, and their standard thermodynamic characteristics are determined and discussed. Standard thermodynamic functions C_p^°(T), H°(T) ? H°(0), S°(T) ? S°(0), and G°(T) ? H°(0) are calculated from the obtained experimental data for the region of Т → 0 to 370 K. The standard entropy of formation of the dendrimer in the partially crystalline state at Т = 298.15 K is calculated, and the standard entropy of the hypothetic reaction of its synthesis at this temperature is estimated. The thermodynamic properties of the studied dendrimer are compared to those of second- and fourth-generation liquid crystal carbosilane dendrimers with the same end groups studied earlier.     

Thermodynamic properties of first- and third-generation carbosilane dendrimers with terminal phenyldioxolane groups

The heat capacities of first- and third-generation carbosilane dendrimers with terminal phenyldioxolane groups are studied as a function of temperature via vacuum and differential scanning calorimetry in the range of 6 to 520 K. Physical transformations that occur in the above temperature range are detected and their standard thermodynamic characteristics are determined and analyzed. Standard thermodynamic functions C_p^ο(T), [H°(T) ? H°(0)], [S°(T) ? S°(0)], and [G°(T) ? H°(0)] in the temperature range of T → 0 to 520 K for different physical states and the standard entropies of formation of the studied dendrimers at T = 298.15 K are calculated, based on the obtained experimental data.     

Thermodynamic properties of carbosilane dendrimers of the third and sixth generations with ethyleneoxide terminal groups

The temperature dependences of the heat capacities of carbosilane dendrimers of the third and sixth generations with ethyleneoxide terminal groups are examined for the first time by means of precision adiabatic vacuum calorimetry at temperatures between 6.5 and 350 K. In this temperature range, physical transformations are observed and their standard thermodynamic characteristics are determined and discussed. The standard thermodynamic functions are calculated per nominal mole of a chosen unit using the obtained experimental data: C° _p (T), H°(T) - H°(0), S°(T) - S°(0), and G°(T) - H°(0) in the interval T → 0 to 350 K, and the standard entropies of formation at T = 298.15 K. The low-temperature (T ≤ 50 K) heat capacity is analyzed using the Debye theory of specific heat and a multifractal model. The values of fractal dimension D are also determined, and conclusions on the investigated structures’ topology are drawn. The corresponding thermodynamic properties of the studied dendrimers are compared as well.     

Thermodynamic properties of the first to fifth generations of carbosilane dendrimers with allyl terminal groups

Temperature dependences of the specific heats, characteristic temperatures, and enthalpies of physical transformations of the first to fifth generations of carbosilane dendrimers with allyl terminal groups were studied using an adiabatic vacuum calorimeter in the temperature range 6—340 K. The error of measurements was, as a rule, about 0.2%. Thermodynamic characteristics of physical transformations of the dendrimers were determined and their thermodynamic functions C _p°(T), H°(T)—H°(0), S°(T)—S°(0), and G°(T)—H°(0) were calculated for the temperature range 0—340 K. The thermodynamic functions of the dendrimers are linearly related to their molecular weights, the number of allyl groups on their outer spheres, and the number of moles of diallylmethylsilane per mole of the dendrimers formed. Additive dependence of the properties of the dendrimers on their chemical composition and structure indicates that the energy of interaction between structural fragments of the dendrimers is independent of the dendrimer generation number. The fractal dimensions, D, of all dendrimers studied in this work are 1.2—1.3 in the temperature range 30—50 K, thus indicating a chain-layered structure of the dendrimer glasses.     

Synthesis and comparative studies of carbosilane liquid crystalline dendrimers with chiral terminal mesogenic groups

A new series of carbosilane liquid crystalline (LC) dendrimers from the first to the third generations with 8, 16 and 32 chiral terminal mesogenic groups, respectively, has been synthesized. The molecular structures and purity of all new compounds were confirmed by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and GPC analysis. Data of polarization microscopy and SAX analysis demonstrated that all LC dendrimers synthesized form a chiral smectic SmC* phase at temperatures below 50 °C. It has been found that bistable electrooptical switching is observed for all dendrimers. The influence of chiral mesogenic fragment length on phase behavior and ferroelectric properties of carbosilane LC dendrimers is discussed.     

Liquid-crystalline carbosilane dendrimers of different molecular architecture with photochromic mesogenic and aliphatic terminal groups

Second-generation (G-2) liquid-crystalline carbosilane block and statistical dendrimers with aliphatic (decyl) and photochromic (azobenzene-containing) mesogenic terminal groups and a G-2 homo-dendrimer containing the same mesogenic terminal groups were synthesized for the first time. The influence of dendritic architecture on the phase behavior of the dendrimers and on photoinduced Z-E-isomerization of the azobenzene fragments in mesogenic terminal groups in dendrimer solutions are discussed. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 12, pp. 2325–2331, December, 2007.     

Molecular dynamics simulation of poly(butyl)carbosilane dendrimer melts at 600 K

The structural properties of melts of poly(butyl)carbosilane (PBC) dendrimers of the third (G3), fifth (G5), and sixth (G6) generations were studied by molecular dynamics simulation at 600 K. A substantial difference was found between the density of the melt of the G6 generation dendrimer and the densities of the melts of the G3 and G5 generation dendrimers. The obtained computer simulation results do not confirm the hypothesis that these differences are caused by physical entanglements between the branches of the neighboring dendrimers (which take place for G6 to a higher extent) and indicate, most likely, the minimization of the interdendrimer free volume due to a more regular packing.     

Hyperbranched polymers versus dendrimers containing a carbosilane framework and terminal ammonium groups as antimicrobial agents

A new family of amine- and ammonium-terminated hyperbranched polycarbosilanes (PCS) and dendrimers has been synthesized. The functionalization of a polycarbosilane matrix was carried out with peripheral allyl groups by two strategies in the case of PCS: 1) hydrosilylation of allyl amines with PCS containing terminal Si-H bonds, or 2) hydrosilylation of PCS-allyl with an aminosilane. Dendrimers with terminal amine groups were synthesized by hydrosilylation of allydimethylamine. Quaternized systems with MeI are soluble and stable in water or other protic solvent. The antibacterial properties of the ammonium-terminated hyperbranched polycarbosilanes and dendrimers have been evaluated showing that they act as potent biocides against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains.     

The influence of lateral and terminal substitution on the structure of a liquid crystal dendrimer in nematic solution: A computer simulation study

The choice of lateral and terminal substitution can have a major influence on the structure of a liquid crystalline supermolecule, which in turn can induce radically different phase behaviour. In this study we use molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the shape of a liquid crystal dendrimer within a liquid crystalline solvent. A coarse-grained (CG) simulation model is employed to represent a third generation dendrimer in which 32 mesogenic groups are bonded to chains at the end of each branch of the dendrimer. In this CG-model the liquid crystal groups can be appended either terminally or laterally. This bonding option is used to generate the structure of four separate systems: (a) a dendrimer with 32 terminal mesogens, (b) a dendrimer with 32 laterally appended mesogens, (c) and (d) dendrimers with 16 lateral and 16 terminal groups represented with laterally bonded sites on one side of the molecule, model (c) or next to terminally bonded sites, model (d). The simulations show that the dendrimer is able to change shape in response to molecular environment and that the molecular shape adopted depends critically on the nature of the lateral/terminal susbstitution.     

The influence of lateral and terminal substitution on the structure of a liquid crystal dendrimer in nematic solution: A computer simulation study

The choice of lateral and terminal substitution can have a major influence on the structure of a liquid crystalline supermolecule, which in turn can induce radically different phase behaviour. In this study we use molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the shape of a liquid crystal dendrimer within a liquid crystalline solvent. A coarse‐grained (CG) simulation model is employed to represent a third generation dendrimer in which 32 mesogenic groups are bonded to chains at the end of each branch of the dendrimer. In this CG‐model the liquid crystal groups can be appended either terminally or laterally. This bonding option is used to generate the structure of four separate systems: (a) a dendrimer with 32 terminal mesogens, (b) a dendrimer with 32 laterally appended mesogens, (c) and (d) dendrimers with 16 lateral and 16 terminal groups represented with laterally bonded sites on one side of the molecule, model (c) or next to terminally bonded sites, model (d). The simulations show that the dendrimer is able to change shape in response to molecular environment and that the molecular shape adopted depends critically on the nature of the lateral/terminal susbstitution.     

Molecular-dynamics simulation of a ceramide bilayer

Ceramide is the simplest lipid in the biologically important class of glycosphingolipids. Ceramide is an important signaling molecule and a major component of the strateum corneum layer in the skin. In order to begin to understand the biophysical properties of ceramide, we have carried out a molecular-dynamics simulation of a hydrated 16:0 ceramide lipid bilayer at 368 K (5 degrees above the main phase transition). In this paper we describe the simulation and present the resulting properties of the bilayer. We compare the properties of the simulated ceramide bilayer to an earlier simulation of 18:0 sphingomyelin, and we discuss the results as they relate to experimental data for ceramide and other sphingolipids. The most significant differences arise at the lipid/water interface, where the lack of a large ceramide polar group leads to a different electron density and a different electrostatic potential but, surprisingly, not a different overall "dipole potential," when ceramide is compared to sphingomyelin.     

Photoswitchable dendritic hosts: a dendrimer with peripheral azobenzene groups

We have studied the adducts formed by eosin (E) with a fourth generation dendrimer (D) that comprises 30 tertiary amine units in the interior and 32 naphthyl and 32 trans azobenzene units in the periphery. We have found that: (i) the all trans dendrimer D(32t) can be converted by irradiation with 365 nm light (Phi=0.12) into species containing, as an average, 4 trans and 28 cis azobenzene units, D(4t28c), that at 313 K undergoes a D(4t28c) --> D(32t) thermal back reaction (k = 7.0 x 10(-5) s(-1)); (ii) D(32t) and D(4t28c) extract 8 and, respectively, 6 eosin molecules from water at pH 7, yielding the species D(32t) subset 8E and D(4t28c) subset 6E; (iii) eosin uptake is significantly faster for D(32t) than for D(4t28c); (iv) irradiation at 365 nm of the D(32t) subset 8E species at 298 K leads to the release of two eosin molecules with formation of a photostable D(15t17c) subset 6E species (Phi = 0.15) that is also obtained from the back thermal reaction of D(4t28c) subset6E at 313 K (k = 2.7 x 10(-5) s(-1)); (v) thermal release of E from D(32t) subset 6E is much faster than from D(4t28c) subset 6E; and (vi) excitation of E in the adducts sensitizes the cis --> trans (but not the trans --> cis) isomerization. The results obtained show that the isomerization of the 32 peripheral azobenzene units controls to some extent the hosting capacity of the dendrimer and, viceversa, eosin molecules hosted in the dendrimer affect the isomerization process of its azobenzene units.