Discussion
The chitosan films used for the electrical studies are made by
dissolving chitosan in 2% aqueous acetic acid solution and therefore
chitosan is in the form of chitosonium acetate. Hence the volume
resistivity of chitosan is low. In the case of blends the ρv has values in
between that of natural rubber and chitosan. An enhancement in
resistivity is observed for vulcanized and MA compatibilized NR85CS15
blend. The increase in resistivity may be due to the enhancement in
interfacial interaction between the two phases and reduction in polarity
in the blends during vulcanization and MA treatment. During addition,
the anhydride groups will react with the amine groups of chitosan,
contributing towards the reduction in overall polarity of the system.
The dielectric property of natural rubber latex is mainly due to the
presence of proteins and fatty acids. The high dielectric constant of
chitosan is due to the presence of polar acetate and NH3
+ ions as the
chitosan film used for dielectric measurements was prepared by