Diels-Alder "click" chemistry in designing dendritic macromolecules.

In the current decade, design of dendritic macromolecules including dendrimers and polymers has reached a new era, mainly due to the remarkably successful and elegant synthetic routes that have been developed recently. This survey aims at demonstrating the potential of the Diels-Alder "click" chemistry, a very effective, simple and versatile synthetic tool in the formation of complex and functional nanometer-sized assemblies. The role of retro Diels-Alder reaction is also explored to highlight the increasing competitive potential of this strategy in the design of dendritic macromolecules of topical interest. The potential "green" nature of this methodology in constructing macromolecular assemblies is also evaluated.