Assist Prof. Dr. Taweechai Amornsakchai Thailand Young Scientist Award Year 2000   Dr. Taweechai Amornsakchai's main research interests are on highly oriented polyethylene which can be produced by drawing to many times its original length at high temperature. Drawing has been found to significantly affect the extent of grafting of vinyl monomers onto drawn polyethylenes. Oriented amorphous, in addition to crystalline region, was found to play an important role in determining the resistivity to chemical reaction for this type of material. In the same study, it was also found that internal grafting may be produced and the extent of internal grafting decreased with increasing the draw ratio. This finding has led to a novel technique for improvement of the compressive strength of drawn polyethylene.   In addition to the above works, the structural transformation and defect formation during drawing are also being investigated. Recently it was found, in contrast to what was previously believed, that drawn polyethylene remembered its original morphology to very high draw ratio. Defect with a distinct structure was also found to develop at certain draw ratio depending on the starting material. Work is now being persued to gain better understanding of the drawing process. Surface modification of polyethylene fiber for composite applications is also under investigation.