Dendrimers and dyes ¯¯ a review

Dendrimers are a class of macromolecules characterized by a highly branched structure of great regularity, a compact shape, a large number of (reactive) end groups, and room between the branches for taking up guest molecules. Dyes have been used to probe the structure of dendrimers; special combinations of dyes and dendrimers can be used to capture and transfer photon energy. Modified dendrimers have been applied to extract dyes either in liquid¯liquid systems or liquid¯solid systems (dyeing of fibres). Furthermore, dendrimers have found a number of applications in inkjet printing and related techniques. For large-scale industrial use an economic alternative for dendrimers has been found in the hyperbranched polymers, which share many of the dendrimersʹ special properties.