Monometallic, bimetallic and semiconductor nanoparticles have been synthesized using this method.
[1] The primary use for DEN's is as a catalyst due to their extremely high surface area to volume ratio.
These types of dendrimers are predominantly terminated with either amine or hydroxyl groups.
After a complex has formed, a reducing agent such as sodium borohydride is introduced in a high molar excess and the metal ions are reduced to their zerovalent form and come together within the dendrimer to form the DEN notated as Gx-R(Mn) where M is the zerovalent metal used and n is the number of metal atoms.
The charge-transfer complex that forms between the metal ions and the dendrimer exhibits a ligand-to-metal charge transfer, or LMCT, band in the UV-Vis spectrum, indicating that a complex has formed.