A Method to Develop Flexible Robust Optically Transparent Unidirectional Antennas Utilizing Pure Water, PDMS, and Transparent Conductive Mesh

Sayem, ASM; Simorangkir, RBVB; Esselle, KP; Hashmi, RM; Liu, H

A Method to Develop Flexible Robust Optically Transparent Unidirectional Antennas Utilizing Pure Water, PDMS, and Transparent Conductive Mesh

Sayem, ASM Simorangkir, RBVB Esselle, KP Hashmi, RM Liu, H

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Publisher:: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, 2020, 68, (10), pp. 6943-6952
Issue Date:: 2020-10-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Sayem, ASM
dc.contributor.author	Simorangkir, RBVB
dc.contributor.author	Esselle, KP
dc.contributor.author	Hashmi, RM
dc.contributor.author	Liu, H
dc.date.accessioned	2020-10-24T19:33:48Z
dc.date.available	2020-10-24T19:33:48Z
dc.date.issued	2020-10-01
dc.identifier.citation	IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, 2020, 68, (10), pp. 6943-6952
dc.identifier.issn	0018-926X
dc.identifier.issn	1558-2221
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/143515
dc.description.abstract	© 2020 IEEE. A method to realize low-cost, optically transparent, flexible, and unidirectional antennas is presented in this article. The key to the method is making a flexible transparent reflector made using a new method-injection of pure water into a flexible transparent cavity that is made out of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer and integrating the flexible reflector with a flexible dipole made of transparent conducting mesh. This method is simple and inexpensive. Hence, it is useful for large-scale production of transparent, flexible, robust, and low-cost antennas as well as RF/microwave components for wearable body-area networks and other such systems that require flexible and transparent components. To validate the method, an antenna operating in the 2.45 GHz band was designed, fabricated, and tested under various conditions. Its measured gain is 3.2 dBi and efficiency is 51%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first water-based transparent flexible antenna. Due to the shielding effect of the water-based reflector, it produces a low specific absorption rate (SAR) in the human body when it is worn, as expected from a unidirectional antenna. Furthermore, it is investigated and confirmed that the use of pure water in the reflector makes the antenna significantly more efficient as opposed to salt water.
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
dc.relation.ispartof	IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1109/TAP.2020.2996816
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess
dc.rights	© 2020 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.	en_US
dc.subject	0906 Electrical and Electronic Engineering, 1005 Communications Technologies
dc.subject.classification	Networking & Telecommunications
dc.title	A Method to Develop Flexible Robust Optically Transparent Unidirectional Antennas Utilizing Pure Water, PDMS, and Transparent Conductive Mesh
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	68
utslib.for	0906 Electrical and Electronic Engineering
utslib.for	1005 Communications Technologies
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Electrical and Data Engineering
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access	*
dc.date.updated	2020-10-24T19:33:11Z
pubs.issue	10
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	68
utslib.citation.issue	10

Abstract:

© 2020 IEEE. A method to realize low-cost, optically transparent, flexible, and unidirectional antennas is presented in this article. The key to the method is making a flexible transparent reflector made using a new method-injection of pure water into a flexible transparent cavity that is made out of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer and integrating the flexible reflector with a flexible dipole made of transparent conducting mesh. This method is simple and inexpensive. Hence, it is useful for large-scale production of transparent, flexible, robust, and low-cost antennas as well as RF/microwave components for wearable body-area networks and other such systems that require flexible and transparent components. To validate the method, an antenna operating in the 2.45 GHz band was designed, fabricated, and tested under various conditions. Its measured gain is 3.2 dBi and efficiency is 51%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first water-based transparent flexible antenna. Due to the shielding effect of the water-based reflector, it produces a low specific absorption rate (SAR) in the human body when it is worn, as expected from a unidirectional antenna. Furthermore, it is investigated and confirmed that the use of pure water in the reflector makes the antenna significantly more efficient as opposed to salt water.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/143515