Role of topology and amphiphilicity for guest encapsulation in functionalized hyperbranched poly(ethylenimine)s

The significant role of solution properties such as amphiphilicity in amidated hyperbranched poly(ethylenimine)s (PEI) for encapsulation, was analyzed. Two commercially available hyperbranched PEI samples such as PEI10K and PEI25K were partially amidated with palmitoyl chloride and used for investigation. The covalently modified hyperbranched polymers with hydrophobic shell were found to sequester polar dyes from the aqueous phase into organic media. The selectivity of dye encapsulation of the amidated hyperbranched PEI was also performed using Fluorescein Sodium (FS): Methyl Orange (MO) and Eosin Y (EY): FS. The results show significant role of hyperbranched structure and polarity difference between core and shell in amphiphilic dendritic systems.