Hyperbranched polymer architectures: From Flory's AB(f-1) polycondensates to controlled structures

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of Staudinger's “macromolecular concept”, polymer scientists critically evaluate the past developments and future challenges of polymer science, asking: Quo vadis, Macromolecular Science? The main focus in Polymer Science has been on linear polymers or crosslinked systems (elastomers and thermosets) until the late 1980ies. The advent of dendritic polymers, i.e. dendrimers and hyperbranched polymers (HBPs) attracted wide-spread attention in the polymer community. This article gives a brief overview of the developments in the area of hyperbranched polymers and demonstrates that they have since become a novel class of polymer materials. [Display omitted] •Paul Flory created the foundation of hyperbranched polymers in 1952.•Multifunctional AB(f-1) polycondensation leads to hyperbranched materials.•Modern concepts permit impressive structural control of Mn and moderate dispersity.•Increasing control of degree of polymerization (DP) and degree of branching (DB).•Hyperbranched polymers with manifold chemistries established.