Characterization of dendrimers

Dendrimers pertain both to the molecular chemistry world for their step by step controlled syntheses, and to the polymer world because of their repetitive structure made of monomers; thus they benefit from analytical techniques from both worlds. This review is a survey of the main analytical techniques used for the characterization of the chemical composition, the morphology, the shape, and the homogeneity of dendrimers. It includes NMR, IR, Raman, UV–Visible, fluorescence, circular dichroism, X-ray diffraction, mass spectrometry, SAXS, SANS, Laser Light Scattering, microscopy, SEC, EPR, electrochemistry, electrophoresis, intrinsic viscosity, DSC, and dielectric spectroscopy.