FUNCTIONAL CASCADE MOLECULES

Cascade molecules/dendrimers are highly branched, regularly built mole cules that have now been known for two decades. While efforts in the e arly stage of their investigation were directed towards the developmen t of higher generation structures and new dendritic architectures, the design of functional dendrimers is more and more emphasized today, Th e latest literature in the field reflects the search for cascade molec ules that accumulate certain functional groups resulting in novel prop erties-the first practical applications are in sight. Dendrimers that interact with, and can be manipulated with light, appear particularly attractive and hold promises for future developments.