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    ATRP synthesis and association properties of thermo responsive anionic block copolymers

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    Thermosensitive anionic block copolymers of sodium 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonate (AMPS) and N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAM) with different block lengths were prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Controlled polymerization was achieved by using ethyl 2-chloropropionate (ECP) as initiator and CuCl/CuCl2/tris(2-dimethylaminoethyl)amine (Me6TREN) catalytic system in DMF:water 50:50 (v/v) mixtures at 20 °C. Blocks lengths ranging from 36 to 98 repeating units were obtained. The association properties in aqueous solutions at different NaCl ionic strengths were studied as a function of temperature and polymer concentration by dynamic light scattering, fluorescence spectroscopy and energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy. The block copolymers with a higher pNIPAAM/pAMPS ratio formed spherical core-shell type micelles independently of the ionic strength. The block copolymers with lower pNIPAAM/pAMPS ratio formed core-shell type micelles at high ionic strength. Larger particles were observed at low ionic strength which could be due to the formation of vesicles or compound micelles/micellar clusters

    EXTENDED ELECTRON ENERGY-LOSS FINE-STRUCTURE AND SELECTED-AREA ELECTRON-DIFFRACTION STUDIES OF SMALL PALLADIUM CLUSTERS

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    Extended electron energy-loss fine structure (EXELFS) and selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) techniques have both been applied to the study of the crystalline structure of Pd clusters of average diameters ranging from bulk to 24 angstrom. The combined use of these techniques gives complementary information about the crystalline structure of Pd clusters. Both techniques show the same lattice parameter expansion, about 4% for the smallest Pd cluster, with respect to the bulk. The EXELFS analysis performed on the Pd-M4,5 edge shows a sizeable increase of structural disorder in the smallest cluster. SAED gives additional information about the Pd bulk sample, showing the occurrence of crystalline regions about 50 angstrom in diameter
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