Stretchable and Bendable Polydimethylsiloxane- Silver Composite Antenna on PDMS/Air Gap Substrate for 5G Wearable Applications

Shakhirul Mat Salleh; Mohd Fadzil Ain; Zulkifli Ahmad; Intan Sorfina Zainal Abidin; Lee Yeng Seng; Mohamed Nasrun Osman

doi:10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3331590

IEEE Access (Jan 2023)

Stretchable and Bendable Polydimethylsiloxane- Silver Composite Antenna on PDMS/Air Gap Substrate for 5G Wearable Applications

Shakhirul Mat Salleh,
Mohd Fadzil Ain,
Zulkifli Ahmad,
Intan Sorfina Zainal Abidin,
Lee Yeng Seng,
Mohamed Nasrun Osman

Affiliations

Shakhirul Mat Salleh: ORCiD; School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia
Mohd Fadzil Ain: ORCiD; School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia
Zulkifli Ahmad: School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia
Intan Sorfina Zainal Abidin: ORCiD; School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia
Lee Yeng Seng: Advanced Communication Engineering (ACE), Centre of Excellence, Faculty of Electronic Engineering and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Arau, Perlis, Malaysia
Mohamed Nasrun Osman: ORCiD; Advanced Communication Engineering (ACE), Centre of Excellence, Faculty of Electronic Engineering and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Arau, Perlis, Malaysia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3331590
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 11
pp. 133623 – 133639

Abstract

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An engineered composite conductor is essential for developing a wearable antenna that is not only flexible but also stretchable. This paper presents the use of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as the substrate and custom polydimethylsiloxane-silver conductive paste for wearable applications. The antenna is designed with an air gap PDMS substrate between the patch and sawtooth partial ground at 3.5 GHz to enhance the bandwidth and gain. Furthermore, the proposed antenna is flexible and can be bent as well as stretched up to 20%, making it suitable for use on the human body. This study investigates the antenna’s performance under bending and stretching to mimic the human body’s structure and movements. Additionally, the specific absorption rate (SAR) of the wearable antenna was analyzed for safety purposes.

Published in IEEE Access

ISSN: 2169-3536 (Online)
Publisher: IEEE
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Technology: Electrical engineering. Electronics. Nuclear engineering
Website: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/RecentIssue.jsp?punumber=6287639

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