Engineering nanoscopic macromolecules for applications: Stars versus dendrimers for catalysis and sensoring

Dendrimers show steric bulk on their surface while, in star molecules, ther e is more bulk on the core than on the periphery. Thus catalysts, which req uire as little steric congestion as possible around the catalytic centers, are attached to the branch termini of stars rather than to those of dendrim ers. On the other hand, for recognition and sensoring, redox centers locate d on surface cavities of dendrimers are highly efficient as the surface cha nnels allowing substrates to penetrate into these cavities are narrow (dend ritic effect).