Dendritic Multiblock Copolymers

The addition of large linear blocks to dendrons with opposite polarity creates a desymmetrized structure predisposed to sequester insoluble components by aggregation rather than intramolecular hydrogen-bonding. Amphiphilic, linear-dendritic diblock (AB) and triblock (ABA) copolymers self-assemble into multimolecular micelles with CMC values that are well below those of low molecular weight surfactants. Typically, a hydrophilic linear block such as PEG is attached to the focal point 

STRUCTURE AND SELF-ASSEMBLY OF AMPHIPHILIC DENDRIMERS IN WATER 

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The precursor polymer blend can be made out of (1) linear block copolymers, (2) AB block copolymers, (3) ABA block copolymers, (4) ABC block copolymers, (5) multiblock copolymers, (6) symmetrical and asymmetrical star block copolymers, (7) blends of polymers, (8) graft copolymers, (9) multibranched copolymers, (10) hyperbranched or dendritic block copolymers, and (11) novel brush copolymers. 

Although, there are many reviews on linear diblock chimeras, only a very few have addressed the synthesis of polypeptide-based materials with different macromolecular architectures (Hadjichristidis et al., 2009 Deming, 2006 Deming, 2000). In this chapter our discussion on the synthesis of well-defined complex chimeras, including linear multiblock co/ terpolymer, as well as nonlinear copolymer chimeras (e.g. star, graft, block-graft, dendritic), will hopefully enrich the current literature on macromolecular chimeras. This chapter will not address the self-assembly of these complex chimeras since this issue is discussed in another chapter of this volume. 

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