Langmuir, Vol.24, No.5, 1858-1862, 2008
Surface properties of a series of amphiphilic dendrimers with short hydrophobic chains
A series of tree-shaped, amphiphilic dendrimers was synthesized. The products belong to the family of one directional arborols of the form ([9]-n), where the notation signifies that each molecule has nine hydroxyl groups ([9]-) as the hydrophilic head and an alkyl chain as the hydrophobic moiety (n = 6, 8, or 10 carbon atoms). The surfactant character changes dramatically as the number of methylene groups increases. The critical micelle concentration of [9]-6 was determined, and pressure-area isotherms of the less soluble [9]-8 and [9]-10 were obtained. Large structures existed atop the spread layers. Large structures were also found in solutions of [9]-6.