IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters · 2014 · 179 citations · 16 references
EngineeringMaterials EngineeringMaterials ScienceAdditive ManufacturingAntennasPolymer MaterialsMicrostrip AntennasMicrowave AntennasPlanar AntennasPrinting TechniquesTechnical TextilesTextile MaterialsFlexible Microstrip AntennasInkjet Textile PrintingMicrostrip Patch AntennasPrinted AntennasPrinted TextilesScreen Printing On TextilesWearable Antenna DesignWearable Antennas
This letter introduces a new technique of inkjet printing antennas on textiles. A screen-printed interface layer was used to reduce the surface roughness of the polyester/cotton material that facilitated the printing of a continuous conducting surface. Conducting ink was used to create three inkjet-printed microstrip patch antennas. An efficiency of 53% was achieved for a fully flexible antenna with two layers of ink. Measurements of the antennas bent around a polystyrene cylinder indicated that a second layer of ink improved the robustness to bending.
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