Dendrimers, Dendrons, and Dendritic Polymers Discovery, Applications, and the Future

Dendrimer science has exploded onto the polymer science scene as the fourth major class of polymer architecture. Capturing the history of dendrimer discovery to the present day, this book addresses all the essential information for newcomers and those experienced in the field, including: ? Fundamental theory, chemistry and physics of the 'dendritic state' ? Synthetic strategies (click chemistry, self-assembly, and so on) ? Dendron/dendrimer characterization techniques ? Architecturally driven 'dendritic effects' ? Developments in scientific and commercial applications ? Convergence with nanotechnology, including dendrimer-based nanodevices, nanomaterials, nanotoxicology and nanomedicine ? Dendrimers as a window to a new nano-periodic system. Including first-hand accounts from pre-1995 pioneers, progress in the dendrimer field is brought to life with anticipated developments for the future. This is the ideal book for researchers in both academia and industry who need a complete introduction to the 'dendritic state' with a special focus on dendrimer and dendron polymer science.

1. Introduction; 2. The dendritic state; 3. Synthetic methodologies; 4. Characterization methodologies; 5. Biopharmaceutical applications and products; 6. Toxicology of dendrimers and dendrons; 7. The dendritic effect; 8. Dendrons and dendrimers: quantized dendritic building blocks leading to a new nano-periodic system; 9. The past, present and future for dendrimers and dendrons.

Donald A. Tomalia is presently Director of the National Dendrimer and Nanotechnology Center and Founder/President of NanoSynthons, LLC. He is internationally recognized as a pioneer in dendrimers, dendritic polymers, dendrimer-based nanomedicine and a new nano-periodic system for defining and unifying nanoscience. Active in both academia and industry, Tomalia is an Associate Editor of Nanomedicine (Elsevier), the founder of several dendrimer production companies including, most recently, NanoSynthons, LLC (2010) and Dendritic Nanotechnologies, Inc. (2001), a subsidiary of Starpharma.
Jørn B. Christensen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Copenhagen. He has a background in organic chemistry and has worked in many different areas ranging from organic superconductors to non-antibiotics.
Ulrik Boas is an Associate Professor in the National Veterinary Institute at the Technical University of Denmark. He received his Ph.D. in Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry in 2002, prior to which he gained several years of experience working in the biotechnology industry.