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Various composites of polypropylene (PP) produced using natural fibers such as pineapple leaf fiber, banana fiber, and bamboo fiber were studied for their degree and rate of aerobic biodegradation. Composites used contained 10, 15, and 50% volume fractions of pineapple leaf fiber, banana fiber, and bamboo fiber, respectively, which are the optimum fiber percentages of the respective composites as reported by these authors in their previous works. Cellulose has been used as positive reference material. All the composites exhibited partial biodegradation in the range of 5–15% depending on the fiber content. Degradation had not taken place in the covalent ester linkages between the natural fiber and the MA‐g‐PP compatibilizer but in those areas of the fibers which have remained only physically embedded in the resin matrix. Thus, although natural fibers reinforced PP composites are not excellent biodegradable material, they can address to the management of waste plastics by reducing the amount of polymer content used that in turn will reduce the generation of nonbiodegradable polymeric wastes. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011

Nylon 66 has been transformed into a material with significantly improved properties like hardness, tensile strength, and flexural modulus by processing it under the optimized dose rate of electron beam in the presence of suitable crosslinkers. Furthermore, percent water absorption of nylon 66 was reduced substantially on irradiation. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that thermal stability of nylon 66 improved with increasing dose of radiation. Improvement of mechanical and thermal properties and reduction of water absorption of nylon 66 were due to the crosslinking of polyamide molecules made possible by the high energy radiation. Increase of crosslinking with increasing radiation dose was verified by the increase of gel content at higher doses. Differential scanning calorimetry showed that both melting and crystallization temperatures along with percent crystallinity of nylon 66 were decreased with the increasing dose of radiation leading to the development of more amorphous character in this semicrystalline polymer.

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