inorganic chemistry

Keywords:Luminescence; Energy transfer; Electron transfer;
Lanthanide ions; Sensors.

I. Dendrimers: A New Class of Ligands

Dendrimers ( 1 ) are macromolecules that exhibit a defined
structure and not only a high degree of order but also a high
degree of complexity. From a topological viewpoint, dendrimers
contain three different regions: core, branches, and surface
(Fig. 1). A most important feature of dendrimer chemistry is
the possibility to insert selected chemical units in predetermined
sites of their architecture. Further, because of their three-dimen-
sional structure, dendrimers exhibit internal dynamic cavities
where ions or molecules can be hosted.
Dendrimers were initially developed in the field of organic
chemistry. More recently, a number of dendrimers based on or
containing metal ions have been prepared and investigated.
The study of these species has considerably expanded the scope
of metal coordination chemistry.
By using dendrimers, it is possible to construct large nano-
objects capable of performing complex functionalities that derive
from the integration of the specific properties of the constituent
moieties. Nowadays both chemistry and physics of dendritic

Core

Branches

Surface

FIG. 1. Schematic representation of a dendrimer, evidencing three
different regions: core, branches, and surface.

106 VINCENZO BALZANIet al.