Chitosan fibers were wet spun from a 6% by weight chitosan in 3% by volume acetic acid solution. The fibers were collected as a 20 filament yarn intended for use as a chaff substrate. The yarn had to be sufficiently dry following spinning to allow for winding and subsequent separation of the filaments. Drying of the yarn was attempted using various techniques including direct and radiant heat, forced air, and chemical drying agents. Product yarns were analyzed for ease of separation of the filaments, as well as comparison of mechanical properties. Individual fibers were evaluated on the basis of moisture content, surface morphology and fiber diameter. Results indicate that the particular drying method or agent used has a considerable impact upon all of the characteristics listed above. A methanol dry bath was found to provide optimum drying of the chitosan yarn, producing filaments with low moisture content that separated easily from one another. Methanol drying yielded chitosan fibers with smaller diameter, superior surface smoothness and superior mechanical properties to fibers dried using forced air, heat, or other tested drying agents such as acetone and isopropanol.
While Europe has become the principal venue for new Chinese foreign direct investment, little of it has resulted in new (greenfield) production or research and development facilities. The bulk of this investment has been used to take over European companies, outstripping Chinese acquisitions in North America by 800 per cent. While some takeovers have been of insurance, sports, luxury goods and similar non‐strategic companies, many have been of innovation‐driven firms. This article explores the reasons for the preference — by Chinese state‐ and privately owned companies — for takeovers of this type of European company. Its working hypothesis is that there are correspondences between the continuing weaknesses in China's innovation system and the fact that Chinese companies have been partially shut out of the US and Japan, leading to the focus on cutting‐edge technological acquisitions in Europe. While these correspondences cannot be proven empirically, the article suggests that, given the available evidence and the context in which it arises (particularly the Chinese government's ‘Made in China 2025’ industrial agenda), the balance of presumption must be that these are key dynamics driving China's European acquisitions programme. Amongst its conclusions, the article suggests that Chinese corporate takeovers arguably problematize the future of European innovation and competitiveness and thus the technological robustness of Europe's economic development.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.