Dendritic polymers, i.e., dendrimers and hyperbranched polymers, attract increasing attention due to their unique structures and properties. The step-wise methodologies for the synthesis of dendrimers allow the tailoring of physical and chemical properties and thus provide a powerful tool to design dendrimers for a wide variety of applications. The complex syntheses of dendrimers often result in expensive products with limited use for large-scale industrial applications, an area where hyperbranched polymers appear to be promising alternatives. The large body of interdisciplinary research on dendritic polymers is a guarantor for emerging applications. However, the understanding of essential fundamentals such as the phase behavior of dendritic polymer solutions is still in its infancy. Therefore, this review intends to cover the syntheses, properties, and emerging applications of dendritic polymers as well as to discuss the impact of polymer branching on the phase behavior of dendritic polymer solutions within a comprehensive thermodynamic context.
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Matthias Seiler (2002) studied this question.