Dendrimers and dyes - a review

Dendrimers are a class of macromolecules characterized by a highly branched structure of great regularity, a compact shape, a large number of (reactive) end groups, and room between the branches for taking up guest molecules. Dyes have been used to probe the structure of dendrimers; special combinations of dyes and dendrimers can be used to capture and transfer photon energy. Modified dendrimers have been applied to extract dyes either in liquid-liquid systems or liquid-solid systems (dyeing of fibres). Furthermore, dendrimers have found a number of applications in inkjet printing and related techniques. For large-scale industrial use an economic alternative for dendrimers has been found in the hyperbranched polymers, which share many of the dendrimers' special properties. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.