Dielectric Characterization of Oil Palm Fiber Reinforced Polycaprolactone-nickel Oxide Composite at Microwave Frequency

The composite of oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber (OPEFB) which is the waste product of oil palm industry, environmentally friendly polycaprolactone (PCL) and nickel oxide (NiO) were fabricated by compounding all materials in the Thermo Haake blending machine. The 3.5x6.1x0.8 cm3 samples with different percentage of OPEFB/PCL/NiO ratio were prepared for dielectric measurement and analysis. The dielectric properties of the substrates were obtained with the open ended coaxial method for microwave frequency range between 0.2 MHz and 20 GHz. The results reveal that the permittivity values of the composite can be tuned by changing the ratio of OPEFB/PCL/NiO prior to compounding and blending. These composites may offer alternatives to Teflon, which is made primarily from petroleum, for applications in radio and communications, especially in the fabrication of antennas, transmission and other microwave components.