Hyperbranched polymers: growing richer in flavours with time
Arun Kumar Gayen, Runa Singla, S. Ramakrishnan
Abstract
Several reviews have been written on HBPs with a focus on synthetic strategies, structural diversity, and their potential applications; in this short feature article, we have taken an alternate approach to highlight some of the unique structural features of HBPs and their influence on the properties of HBPs. We also discuss their versatility and adaptability for the generation of several interesting functional polymeric systems. In the latter half, we focus on the utilisation of HBPs as multifunctional scaffolds, that rely on the numerous peripheral terminal groups. We conclude by drawing a structuro-functional analogy between the range of peripherally functionalised HBPs and other analogous, but more complex, polymeric systems. We believe that this review will serve as a visual sounding board that would encourage the development of several other applications for this class of unique polymers.