Thermally Induced Phase Transition of Carborane-Functionalized Aliphatic Polyester Dendrimers in Aqueous Media

Three recently reported aliphatic polyester dendrimers of generations 3, 4, and 5, having 4, 8, and 16 carborane cages within their interior, respectively, were found to exhibit thermally induced, reversible precipitation in aqueous solution. The cloud-point temperatures for these molecules were observed to be between 40 and 80 degrees C, depending on the dendrimer generation. The three dendrimers investigated have a hydroxyl-to-carborane ratio …