Hyperbranched polymers: Phase behavior and new applications in the field of chemical engineering

During the last decade, hyperbranched polymers have become the focus of intense interdisciplinary research. The endeavor to demonstrate the full potential of hyperbranched polymers continuously results in more and more complex hyperbranched structures with new synthetic methodologies. A remarkable variety of applications for hyperbranched polymers has been investigated. Some of them have been already commercially realized. A new promising area of potential applications for hyperbranched polymers is the field of chemical engineering. The use of hyperbranched polymers in separation processes involving extractive distillation, solvent extraction, absorption, membranes or preparative chromatography might offer considerable potentials for cost savings. Therefore, this review intends to introduce these new potential applications of hyperbranched polymers. Based on a brief description of the synthetic methodologies and properties of hyperbranched polymers, a detailed overview of the investigated phase behavior of branched polymer systems is given, followed by a discussion of new potential applications of hyperbranched polymers in the field of chemical engineering. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.