In this paper, we report a modified technique for the production of oriented continuous nanofibers instead of non-woven mats using a rapidly rotating collection device. We are interested in retaining physical properties such as electrical conductivity of fiber bundles in their axial direction. The experiments were performed using polyethylene oxide (PEO) and its blend with polyaniline (PANI). According to the results, a typical fiber with a uniform diameter of about 100 nanometer was produced. The fibers from the PEO/ CHCl 3 solution show high crystallinity and good orientation whereas the fibers from the blend solution of PEO/PANI/m-cresol and CHCl 3 show no preferred orientation. However, the fibers of the blend exhibit high electrical conductivity of 33 S/cm for a fiber bundle at a PANI level of 50 %.

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SYNOPSISTo improve the physical properties of starch-filled polyolefin, starch was modified into more hydrophobic material by the introduction of cholesterol unit, and the different starchcompositioned high-density polyethylene (HDPE) films were prepared with addition of either native starch or modified starch to compare their physical properties. The addition of either native starch or modified starch resulted in decreased crystallinities in all the different composite films containing starch. Interestingly, HDPE-blown films containing more than 10% native starch (HDPE/ST) showed a steeper decrease in crystallinity than correspondent HDPE containing the modified starch (HDPE/MS). Improvement of the dispersion and adhesion in HDPE/MS and HDPE/ST were also observed; but at high starch content, the HDPE/MS films showed higher tensile strength and elongation than the HDPE/ST. The degradation of HDPE/MS films in active sludge condition was much faster than that of the HDPE/ST films, although the degradation rate of HDPE/MS films in a-amylase condition were slower than the one of HDPE/ST films. 0 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

SYNOPSISThree degradable polymer materials such as starch-polyethylene (PE) binary blends, P E containing starch and a photoactivator, and PE containing starch and a photoactivator which was coated with gelatin were prepared and their degrees of photodegradation and/ or photodegradation after biodegradation were investigated. The addition of the gelatincoated ferric salt in PE extended the induction period of degradation and accelerated photodegradation after the removal of coating material by biodegradation. This result suggested that the degradation rate of P E could be controlled if more powerful photoactivators and/ or coating material are developed and their contents are optimized. 0 1996

The properties of polypropylene (PP)/polyamide 6 (PA) blends, obtained by the following two different blending methods, were investigated. Blends of PP/PA and PP/PA/maleic anhydride have been prepared using a twin screw extruder and a fiber cutting, flying and mixing apparatus that directly commingles PP fiber and PA fiber. The properties measured include rheological properties by means of a capillary rheometer, morphologies by scanning electron microscopy, and mechanical properties by a universal testing machine and a high rate impact tester. In the presence of compatibilizer, a marked dispersibility of the polymer blends of PP and PA was observed, and mechanical properties were found to increase as a result of improvement of the interfacial adhesion and the dispersibility. The properties of PP/PA blends manufactured by two different pieces of equipment were shown to be similar in the case of melting both resins. But in particular, superior impact properties were obtained in blends not melting PA fibers as a dispersed phase rather than blends using maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (PP‐g‐MA) as a compatibilizer.