Dendritic antenna complexes

As far as electron transfer properties directly involving dendrimers are concerned, it can be generally considered that these reactions may be observed whenever the macromolecular structure contains one or more units featuring redox levels at accessible potentials. The first dendrimers prepared were purely organic macromolecules, with no unit appropriate for electron transfer reactions. Later, however, the introduction of metal and organometallic complexes in the dendritic structure opened new possibilities to the chemistry of dendrimers. Indeed, the incorporated metal units exhibit important properties such as absorption and emission of visible light (relevant for the construction of antenna systems see Volume V, Part 1, Chapter 7) and redox levels at accessible potential, which are necessary for electron transfer reactions. Successively, purely organic electroactive units have also been used to functionalize the dendrimers. 

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