Abstract: Disclosed is an electrorheological fluid which is a uniform mixture or solution consisting of a thermotropic polymeric liquid crystal compound such as poly(4'-cyano-4-biphenyloxyhexyl acrylate) and a thermotropic low-molecular liquid crystal compound such as 4-cyano-4'-pentyl biphenyl to serve as the solvent of the polymer in a specified molar ratio. The viscosity of the liquid composition is increased as the direct-current electric field applied thereto is increased while this electrorheological effect disappears when the temperature of the composition is increased to exceed a phase transition temperature which is specific to the respective combinations of the polymeric and low-molecular liquid crystal compounds.

Abstract: A molding material having high dynamic strength which contains bacterial cellulose having ribbon-shaped microfibrils.Such material is advantageously used as a reinforcing material for composite plastics having high strength, as high quality paper or as acoustic diaphragms for percussion instruments.

Abstract: Needle-like single-crystals of polyoxymethylene are obtained directly from a monomer, trioxane, in the course of polymerization in solution. The method for obtaining the crystals comprises preparing an anhydrous, dilute solution of trioxane in non-polar solvents, adding thereto a specified amount of boron trifluoride or its ether complex derivatives as catalyst and subsequently adding a small specified amount of water as co-catalyst, and maintaining the mixture unstirred at a fixed temperature.The needle-like crystals, measuring 5 to 100 microns long and 1 to 3 microns across, are single crystals having a hexagonal cross-section and constituted of molecular chains extended and aligned in the direction of length with full three dimensional regularity. This single-crystal is believed to be the first example of a `polymer whisker`.