Adsorption and Aggregation Properties of Gemini-Type Amphiphilic Dendrimers

Gemini-type amphiphilic dendrimers featuring two dodecyl chains and two poly(amidoamine) dendrons (2C₁₂-2denGn, where n is the dendron (den) generation (G) number (1, 2, 3, 4, or 5)) were synthesized using ethylenediamine, alkyl bromide, and methyl acrylate. These gemini-type dendrimers were characterized by surface tension, pyrene fluorescence, static light scattering, and small-angle X-ray scattering. The results showed clear breakpoints in the surface tension versus concentration plots, which indicated adsorption at the air/water interface and micelle formation in solution despite the bulky dendron structure (e.g., generations 3 to 5), contrasting the behavior of conventional surfactants. The 2C₁₂-2denGn dendrimers could be densely packed at the air/water interface owing to enhanced interaction between the dendrons and between the alkyl chains. Furthermore, these dendrimers formed spherical micelles at a concentration of 5.0 mmol dm^-3 in solution (pH 9); the overall micelle size was not dependent on the generation number of the dendron, while as the generation number increased, the core radius of the micelle decreased, and the shell thickness of the micelle increased.