Guest Uptake by Rigid Polyphenylene Dendrimers Acting As a Unique Dendritic Box in Solution Proven by Isothermal Calorimetry

Porosity of Rigid Dendrimers in Bulk: Interdendrimer Interactions and Functionality as Key Factors

The porous structure of second- and third-generation polyphenylene-type dendrimers was investigated by adsorption of N₂, Ar, and CO₂ gases, scanning electron microscopy and small-angle X-ray spectroscopy. Rigid dendrimers in bulk are microporous and demonstrate a molecular sieve effect. When using CO₂ as an adsorbate gas, the pore size varies from 0.6 to 0.9 nm. This is most likely due to the distances between dendrimer macromolecules or branches of neighboring dendrimers, whose packing is mostly realized due to intermolecular interactions, in particular, π-π interactions of aromatic fragments. Intermolecular interactions prevent the manifestation of the porosity potential inherent to the molecular 3D structure of third-generation dendrimers, while for the second generation, much higher porosity is observed. The maximum specific surface area for the second-generation dendrimers was 467 m²/g when measured by CO₂ adsorption, indicating that shorter branches of these dendrimers do not provide dense packing. This implies that the possible universal method to create porous materials for all kinds of rigid dendrimers is by a placement of bulky substituents in their outer layer.

Expanding the limits of synthetic macromolecular chemistry through Polyphenylene Dendrimers

Polyphenylene dendrimers (PPDs) are a unique class of macromolecules because their backbone is made from twisted benzene repeat units that result in a rigid, shape-persistent architecture as reported by Hammer et al. (Chem Soc Rev 44:4072-4090, 2015) and Hammer and Müllen (Chem Rev 116:2103-210, 2016) These dendrimers can be synthetically tailored at their core, scaffold, and surface to introduce a wide range of chemical functionalities that influence their applications. It is the balance between the macromolecular properties of polyphenylene dendrimers with grandiose synthetic ingenuity that presents a template for the next generation of synthetic dendrimers to achieve complex structures other chemistry fields cannot. This perspective will look at how advances in synthetic chemistry have led to an explosion in the properties of polyphenylene dendrimers from their initial stage, as PPDs that were used as precursors for nanographenes, to next-generation dendrimers for organic electronic devices, sensors for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nanocarriers for small molecules, and even as complexes with therapeutic drugs and viruses, among others. Ideally, this perspective will illustrate how the evolution of synthetic chemistry has influenced the possible structures and properties of PPDs and how these chemical modifications have opened the door to unprecedented applications.

The polar side of polyphenylene dendrimers

The site-specific functionalization of poly(phenylene) dendrimers can produce macromolecules with a range of different polarities.

Covalent attachment and release of small molecules from functional polyphenylene dendrimers

Herein, we report the synthesis of 2nd generation PPDs functionalized with free thiol moieties within the scaffold, which were used as anchor points for the covalent attachment of guest species (p-nitrophenol derivatives) through the oxidative formation of disulfide linkages. The disulfide bonds were then cleaved under reductive conditions using dithiothreitol to discharge the molecules.

Porphyrins with a carbosilane dendrimer periphery as synthetic components for supramolecular self-assembly

The preparation of the shape-persistent carbosilane-functionalized porphyrins H2TPP(4-SiRR'Me)4, Zn(II)-TPP(4-SiRR'Me)4 (R = R' = Me, CH2CH=CH2, CH2CH2CH2OH; R = Me, R' = CH2CH=CH2, CH2CH2CH2OH; TPP = tetraphenyl porphyrin), H2TPP(4-Si(C6H4-1,4-SiRR'Me)3)4, and Zn(II)-TPP(4-Si(C6H4-1,4-SiRR'Me)3)4 (R = R' = Me, CH2CH=CH2; R = Me, R' = CH2CH[double bond, length as m-dash]CH2) using the Lindsey condensation methodology is described. For a series of five samples their structures in the solid state were determined by single crystal X-ray structure analysis. The appropriate 0th and 1st generation porphyrin-based 1,4-phenylene carbosilanes form 2D and 3D supramolecular network structures, primarily controlled by either π-π interactions (between pyrrole units and neighboring phenylene rings) or directional molecular hydrogen recognition and zinc-oxygen bond formation in the appropriate hydroxyl-functionalized molecules. UV-Vis spectroscopic studies were carried out in order to analyze the effect of the dendritic branches on the optical properties of the porphyrin ring.

Novel metallo-dendrimers containing various Ru core ligands and dendritic thiophene arms for photovoltaic applications

A polymer solar cell device containing an active layer of BTRu2G3 : PC70BM = 1 : 3 (by wt), i.e., the third generation of the bis-Ru-based dendritic complex BTRu2G3 showed the highest PCE value of 0.77%.

Tuning polarity of polyphenylene dendrimers by patched surface amphiphilicity--precise control over size, shape, and polarity

In the ideal case, a precise synthesis yields molecules with a constitutional as well as a conformational perfectness. Such a case of precision is demonstrated by the synthesis of semi-rigid amphiphilic polyphenylene dendrimers (PPDs). Polar sulfonate groups are precisely placed on their periphery in such a manner that patches of polar and non-polar regions are created. Key structural features are the semi-rigid framework and shape-persistent nature of PPDs since the limited flexibility introduces a nano-phase-separated amphiphilic rim of the dendrimer. This results in both attractive and repulsive interactions with a given solvent. Frustrated solvent structures then lead to a remarkable solubility in solvents of different polarity such as toluene, methanol, and water or their mixtures. Water solubility combined with defined surface structuring and variable hydrophobicity of PPDs that resemble the delicate surface textures of proteins are important prerequisites for their biological and medical applications based upon cellular internalization.