CHAPTER 1: Introduction to dendrimers and other dendritic polymers

This chapter will provide a descriptive overview of the different classes that define dendritic polymers and their subcategories. These include monodisperse dendrons and dendrimers as well as polydisperse hyperbranched polymers, linear-dendritic copolymer hybrids, dendronized polymers and dendrigrafts. Its content will give the reader interested in venturing into the field of dendritic polymers, the general synthetic options with respect to choice of scaffolds. From a researcher point of view, a major drawback to exploiting this class of polymers is strongly related to their accessibility, especially synthetically challenging and flawless dendritic scaffolds. As monodisperse dendrimers are the pinnacle of dendritic polymers that are synthesized via a cascade of successful reactions steps, it is pivotal that chemists utilize reactions known for their robustness and simple purification. Consequently, a large part of this chapter describes previous and recent synthetic approaches to dendrimers that have successfully been accomplished, such as traditional and accelerated growth strategies, as well as their pros and cons. A rationale on how to synthetically approach dendrimers is provided, from choice of monomers, growth route and pitfalls that accompany their construction. More in-depth synthetic description and their related references for structurally specific architectures can be found in the later chapters in this book. © 2020 The Royal Society of Chemistry.