Synthesis and degradation of backbone photodegradable polyester dendrimers

Dendrimers with fully photodegradable backbones were synthesized through the incorporation of photodegradable o-nitrobenzyl esters into a new dendrimer monomer based on 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)propionic acid (bis-MPA). Dendrons were synthesized using a divergent approach, and were subsequently coupled to a core molecule in the final step. Photodegradation was performed and it was demonstrated that the molecules degrade to release bis-MPA. The accessibility of these molecules opens new avenues for the preparation of well-defined, fully photodegradable materials.