Patel, Sanjay; Duhamel, Jean

DOI:

Abstract

A series of pyrene-labeled PAMAM dendrimers (PyCX-PAMAM-GY, where X (=4, 8, or 12) and Y (=0, 1, or 2) represent the number of atoms in the pyrenyl linker and the dendrimer generation, resp.) were studied by acquiring their time-resolved fluorescence decays in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and DMSO. The fluorescence decays were fitted globally according to the model-free anal. (MFA), which yielded the average rate constant 〈k〉 for pyrene excimer formation (PEF). 〈k〉 was compared with the local pyrene concentration [Py]loc inside the dendrimers, which was calculated by assuming that the segments constituting the dendrimer interior obey Gaussian statistics. 〈k〉 was found to increase linearly with [Py]loc in both solvents, but the straight lines had different slopes due to differences in solvent viscosity and polarity. These differences were accounted for by dividing 〈k〉 by kdiff, which is the bimol. rate constant for PEF generated by n-hexyl-1-pyrenebutyramide used as a model compound The 〈k〉/kdiff ratios obtained for all the PyCX-PAMAM-GY samples in DMF and DMSO collapsed onto a single master line where 〈k〉/kdiff increased linearly with [Py]loc. The strong correlation found between 〈k〉 and [Py]loc suggested that the oligomeric segments constituting the interior of the low-generation (Y = 0, 1, and 2) PAMAM dendrimers obeyed Gaussian statistics. This fact was further supported by using the Gaussian approximation to calculate the radius of gyration (Rg) of PAMAM dendrimers and compare them to the Rg values obtained by mol. dynamics simulations. The excellent agreement obtained between the two sets of Rg values validated the assumption. Furthermore, the direct relationship between 〈k〉 and [Py]loc established in this study demonstrates that 〈k〉 provides a quant. measure of the internal d. of the dendrimers, an observation with considerable implications for the quant. conformational characterization of macromols. with a complex architecture in solution

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