"Sick car syndrome" is known as a syndrome having latent health damage caused by complex smell of the assorted chemicals such as PVC and ABS which was components of new car interior trim (sheet, dashboard, audio case, cable, safety glass, synthetic rubber, and adhesive). The impact of interior trim on VOC levels was evaluated by testing with leather or fabric trims. Concentrations of VOCs and formaldehyde (HCHO) discharged from the car interior trims (2 sheet covers and 1 headliner) fixed in the sample holder of the small chamber were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Concentrations of TVOC and HCHO emitted from 3 samples increased with increasing temperature and time. Concentration of TVOC emitted from PVC foam leather was highest under experimental conditions.

We have demonstrated the feasibility of using electrospinning method to fabricate long and continuous composite nanofiber sheets of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) incorporated with zinc oxide (ZnO). Such PAN/ZnO composite nanofiber sheets represent an important step toward utilizing carbon nanofibers (CNFs) as materials to achieve remarkably enhanced physico-chemical properties. In an attempt to derive these advantages, we have used a variety of techniques such as field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high resolution X-ray diffraction (HR-XRD) to obtain quantitative data on the materials. The CNFs produced are in the diameter range of 100 to 350 nm after carbonization at 1000℃. Electrical conductivity of the random CNFs was increased by increasing the concentration of ZnO. A dramatic improvement in porosity and specific surface area of the CNFs was a clear evidence of the novelty of the method used. This study indicated that the optimal ZnO concentration of 3 wt% is enough to produce CNFs having enhanced electrical and physico-chemical properties.