Biocompatible and biodegradable water-soluble dendrimers comprising ureas within the interior and amino groups on the periphery were synthesized in supercritical carbon dioxide (dendrimer of generation 1 shown in picture). This novel class of dendrimers shows a pH-dependent intrinsic blue fluorescence at very low concentrations, which makes them potential polymeric fluorescent cell markers.
Differently shaped polymeric matrices were efficiently coated with stimuli-responsive hydrogels for a wide range of applications using a new methodology. By combining plasma surface activation and polymerization in supercritical media at mild conditions, we report the direct smart coating of microcarriers and membranes in gram-scale quantities with a scalable, green, and low-cost approach.