The spinnability and mechanical properties of poly(propylene) (PP)/zeolite-supported Ag+ (zeolite-Ag)/ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) ternary blend fibers were studied. It was found that the spinning temperature of the ternary blend fibers was decreased in the presence of EVA. The addition of 2 wt % EVA substantially improved the spinnability of the blend system by enhancing its flowability. It was also found that the ternary fiber with EVA(28) (28 wt % vinyl acetate content) showed balanced improvement of mechanical properties by a concomitant increase in modulus and tensile strength. The improvements of spinnability and mechanical properties suggested that a core-shell structure of zeolite-Ag/EVA(28) particles, with zeolite-Ag as the core and EVA(28) as the shell, was formed and remained during the melt-mixing process of the blended chips and during the course of fiber processing. EVA probably enhanced the binding between the zeolite-Ag and the PP matrix, as made evident in SEM microphotographs. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.