To control degradation rate of biodegradable poly(lactide)s (PLA), the stereochemical PLAs with different ratios of d-lactide and l-lactide units were synthesized by the ring open polymerization and the their degradation kinetics were measured by a Langmuir film balance. The alkaline (pH=11) degradation of poly(l-lactide) (l-PLA) monolayer showed the faster rate at a surface pressure of 4 mN/m in the ranges from to 0 to 7 mN/m. However, the enzymatic degradation of l-PLA with Proteinase K did not occur until 4 mN/m. Above a constant surface pressure of 4 mN/m, the degradation rate was increased with a constant surface pressure. These behaviors might be attributed to the difference in the contacted area with degradation medium: alkaline ions need small contact area with l-PLA while enzymes require much bigger one to be activated due to different medium sizes. The stereochmical PLA monolayers showed that the alkaline degradation was increased with their optical impurities while the enzymatic one was inversed. These results could be explained by the decrease of crystallinity with the optical impurity and the inactivity of enzyme to d-LA unit.

Biodegradable oil gelling agent was prepared, and their oil absorption capacities using light oil, lubricant oil and corn oil were investigated. The result showed that the oil absorption capacity was depended on the amount of surfactant and starch added, and was increased in the order of light oil, lubricant oil and corn oil. Also, the oil-absorption capacity was saturated within 30 min at 18℃. The biodegradability of the prepared biodegradable oil gelling agent was also studied by determination of reduced sugar produced after enzymatic hydrolysis. Their surface morphologies and thermal properties of the prepared biodegradable oil gelling agent were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), respectively.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility of application of microwave energy for the fabrication of polymer/clay nanocomposite. APES/Clay nanocomposites were prepared at 130℃ for 30min with various content of clay by melt-intercalation method under classical and microwave heating source. APES/Clay samples were characterized by the means of X-ray diffractometry(XRD), thermal gravimetric analysis(TGA), and rheometric dynamic analysis(RDA). It was found that intercalated or exfoliated state was obtained in the samples according to the condition of organic modification, clay content, and heating source.

In spite water direct seeding cultivation of rice has advantages in terms of laborsaving and cost-down, it demonstrates uneven seedling establishment and difficult weed management. To select an applicable mat for mulching system of water seeded rice, weed occurrence, growth and yield performances of rice, and soil temperature were evaluated in several kinds of biodegradable mulching material. Field studies were conducted at the experimental farm of National Crop Experiment Station in 1999 and 2000. Among the mats tested in 1999, Safer-mat had the greatest effect on inhibiting weed occurrence and Lawn-mat demonstrated the least efficacy of weed control (EWC) value. In Safer-mat treatment, Ludwigia prostrata was the dominant weed species but Echinochloa crus-galli was not observed. Different kinds of mulching material from the mats studied in 1999 were tested in 2000. Biodegradable polyester (PES) coated on the recycled paper for newspaper press (RP) treatments showed similar or higher EWC values than non-mulched broadcast seed rice with 2 times of herbicide application (BC-herbicide) and Safer-mat that was the most effective mat on preventing weed appearance in 1999. Immediately after mat mulching on the surface of paddy soil, five pregerminated rice seeds were manually sown in each 3cm-hole formerly punctured at 30~times 14 cm spacing in 2000. All the 3 kinds of mulching material tested in 2000 had better seedling stand than BC-herbicide treatment. Rice yield in PES coated with 10 thickness on RP (PES10 ~mu~textrmm ＋RP) was a little higher than in BC-herbicide treatment but the former produced less panicles in unit land area than the latter. PES10 ~mu~textrmm ＋RP demonstrated a great effect on raising soil surface temperature than non-mulching treatment throughout the period of seedling establishment.