Electrical properties of chicken feather fiber reinforced epoxy composites

We have fabricated composites with epoxy, chicken feather fiber (CFF), and E-glass fibers and investigated their properties for potential applications as printed circuit boards (PCBs). The electrical resistivity of the CFF composites was two to four orders of magnitude higher than that of E-glass fiber composites. The dielectric constant of the composites decreased with fiber contents. Composite with hybrid fiber had a low dielectric constant of 3.6-4.2 and a loss tangent of 0.027, which is similar to those of commercial PCB materials. The CFF composite can be potentially used for PCBs industry and the hybrid fiber composite has a good balance of properties and costs, while being more sustainable. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.