Characterization of natural rubber latex/chitosan blends

In an attempt to prepare novel biodegradable materials, blends of natural rubber latex/chitosan (NR/CS) with different compositions have been prepared by solution casting followed by compression. The blends were characterized by thermogravimetry, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. The effect of thermal stability on the percentage of natural rubber latex (NR) in the blend was studied. The percentage of bound rubber content and fraction of rubber dissolved in benzene was determined. Better interfacial adhesion between chitosan and natural rubber is achieved in the blend NR95 CS5. This is reflected in the IR spectrum also. The water absorption behavior of the blends has also been studied. X-ray diffraction study shows a decrease in crystallinity in natural rubber with addition of chitosan.