A cobalt-containing hyperbranched polydiyne shows refractive indexes (n) as high as 1.713-1.813 in the long wavelength region, which can be tuned to a large extent (Deltan up to approximately 0.048) by UV irradiation; the polymer can also function as a spin-coatable catalyst for the growth of carbon nanotubes.

Hyperbranched nanostructured bismuth vanadate at a chemically polarized water/organic interface is applied for efficient visible light-driven catalytic oxidation of water in the presence of [Co(bpy)3](PF6)3 as an organic soluble electron acceptor. The photocurrent response originating from the transfer of photo-excited electrons in BiVO4 to [Co(bpy)3]3+ is measured by scanning electrochemical m...

A nucleic acid amplification technique termed as netlike rolling circle amplification is proposed by introducing a nicking enzyme into the existing hyperbranched rolling circle amplification system. Surprisingly dense and uniform network morphology is observed; and cubic amplification is achieved for the sensitive detection of a sequence from HIV.

In the search of new HIV-1 integrase (IN) inhibitors, we synthesized a series of multimeric 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (DHICA) derivatives. Preliminary results indicate that hyperbranched architectures could represent a peculiar molecular requisite for the development of new antiviral lead compounds.

We report the first synthesis of a photodegradable hyperbranched polyacetal, wherein every repeat unit carries a photo-labile 2-nitrobenzyloxy moiety. The pristine HBP serves as a positive photoresist to create micron-size patterns; furthermore, by changing the terminal groups to dipropargyl acetal, clickable photo-patterned substrates can be generated.

A specific resonance light scattering bioassay for homocysteine is developed on the basis of target-involved assembly of polyethyleneimine-capped Ag-nanoclusters. The bioassay permits discriminating homocysteine from cysteine, glutathione and other amino acids, and allows sensitive and selective detection of homocysteine with a detection limit of 42 nM.

Attaching a self-complementary zwitterionic supramolecular binding site to the amino groups of polyethyleneimine leads to a pH switchable hydrogel as dimerization of the zwitterions introduces additional crosslinks between the polymer chains. This gel responds to both the addition of either acid or base, as only the zwitterion can self-assemble but neither the protonated or deprotonated form.

A hyperbranched cationic polysaccharide derivative-mediated small interfering (si)RNA interference strategy was proposed to inhibit nuclear transcription factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation in human retinal pigment epithelial (hRPE) cells for the gene therapy of diabetic retinopathy. Two hyperbranched cationic polysaccharide derivatives containing the same amount of cationic residues, but with di...