Dendrimers that combine reactive hydroxyl peripheral sites and a stabilizing internal backbone environment influence the evolving morphology of silver metal nanoparticles. As the generation number increases, metal particles with a dominant cube shape are formed.

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We report on the synthesis and detailed characterization of dendrimers that evolve symmetrically from a linear core of 2-butyne-1,4-diol with 3,5-dihydroxybenzyl alcohol based dendron arms. The divergent layer-by-layer build-up of the dumbbell-shaped dendrimers is based on simple acid–base hydrolytic chemistry of bis(dimethylamino)dimethylsilane with OH-terminated molecules. The self-assembly of these dendrimers in THF and water is significantly influenced by their generation number, the backbone structure, and the solvent.Key words: dendrimers, divergent synthesis, macromolecules, self-assembly