Influence of content and diameter of fibres and chemical treatment on the dielectric properties of oil palm fibres rubber composites

In this work, the dielectric properties of oil palm fibres/rubber composite materials were characterised as regards fibre content (10, 20 and 30% wt. fibres), fibre diameter and length (two types: macrofibres and microfibres) and treatment (three treatments: silane, benzoylation and added silica). Dielectric properties (loss factor, permittivity, dissipation factor, power loss density, AC conductivity) of all the composites and pure rubber were measured. The effect of fibre content was very evident in increasing the dielectric losses and the AC conductivity, while the effect of the type of fibres introduced was less evident. In contrast, a clear increase of the loss factor was obtained with benzoylated fibres, while the other treatments had a lesser influence on losses and AC conductivity.