3. Results
Resistivity studies are important for insulating materials, since the most desirable characteristic of an insulator is its ability to resist the leakage of electric current. Fig. 1 shows the variation of volume resistivity (ρv) of neat polymers and the binary blends as a function of chitosan concentration. Natural rubber is good insulator with volume resistivity in the order of 109 Ω cm, while the volume resistivity of chitosan is in the order of 102 Ω cm. As the concentration of chitosan increases the ρv value decreases. This decrease in ρv is due to the introduction of low resistivity chitosan. The curve shows a sharp change after 50% CS.