Experimental correlation between varying cassava cortex and dielectric properties in epoxy/cassava cortex dielectric particulates composites

The effect of varying cassava cortex on the dielectric properties of cassava cortex–epoxy composites was studied. Hand lay-up molding method was used. Carbonized (CCCtx) and uncarbonized (UCCtx) cassava cortex with 150–600 µm size were varied from 40 to 60 wt%. The dielectric strength and dielectric constant decreased with increases in wt% from 40 to 60 wt%. Increase in particle size from 150 to 600 µm decreased the dielectric strength by 51.67 and the dielectric constant by 3.3. The carbonization of the cassava cortex caused an increase in the dielectric constant by 1.03. The measured properties of the developed composites are comparable with those of standard insulators. Thus, the developed composite can serve as a safe dielectric for low to moderate voltage applications.