A Supramolecular Polyethylenimine-Cored Carbazole Dendritic Polymer with Dual Applications

A series of supramolecular dendritic multiarm polymers (SDMPs) are fabricated by simply mixing the hyperbranched polyethylenimine (PEI, 10K) and carboxylic acid-terminated carbazole-containing dendrons. Carbazole-containing dendrons with different generations, i.e. generation zero (G0), generation one (G1), and generation two (G2), are employed for the formation of the nanocomplexes. The formation of SDMPs is demonstrated by the use of dynamic light scattering (DLS) and water contact angle (WCA) measurement. The ionic bonding between the PEIs and the surrounding carbazole-containing dendrons is also confirmed by the ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra. The encapsulation capability of SDMPs is tested by monitoring the phase transfer process of anionic guests by UV-vis spectroscopy. The effect of the dendron generation on the encapsulation capability of SDMPs is evaluated as well. Without any additional reducing agent, the SDMPs are also utilized as the nanoreactors for the formation of the noble metal nanoparticle (NMNPs) while cross-linking the periphery carbazole shells simultaneously. The electrochemically active SDMPs, with the simple fabrication method and their utilization as the nanocarriers to encapsulate anionic guests and nanoreactors to generate conjugated polymer shells surrounded NMNPs, are expected to be ideal building blocks for the optoelectronic devices and intelligent materials.