A review on structural aspects and applications of PAMAM dendrimers in analytical chemistry: Frontiers from separation sciences to chemical sensor technologies

Of the above 50 reported dendrimers families, the poly (amidoamine) (PAMAM) has remained one of the topmost explored classes due to its intended applications in potential areas ranging from nanomedicines to diagnostics, energy technologies, environmental remediation, analytical chemistry, and catalysis. The key features of PAMAM attractive to the scientific community are their controllable size in nanometers, globular three-dimensional branched architecture with a huge number of intramolecular cavities for host-guest interactions, facile synthesis methods, monodispersed nature, a substantial number of surface groups that can be manipulated chemically for controlling the physicochemical features and producing versatile products, low toxicity and cost, biocompatibility and easy fabrication to different substrates. In this paper, significant knowledge of PAMAM dendrimers is reviewed from the perspective of different structural parts, particularly the central core and the peripheral end groups. Additionally, the immobilization of PAMAM to various substrates such as metal nanoparticles (MNPs), carbonaceous nanomaterials, porous organic polymers, synthetic membranes, and electrodes has been presented. Besides this, the last part of the review is devoted to the applications of PAMAM dendrimers in analytical chemistry. Finally, the future outlook and perspective are addressed briefly.