Paper-based printed CPW-fed antenna for Wi-Fi applications

Abstract

A paper-based co-planar waveguide (CPW) fed monopole antenna for Wi-Fi applications is proposed. The antenna is fabricated by printing a commercial silver nanoparticle (Ag NP) based ink on photo paper substrate. The antenna is designed as a single layer for the ease of fabrication, and it is designed to radiate at two frequencies, 2.4 and 5.8 GHz, which are suitable for Wi-Fi applications. The printed film exhibits good electrical conductivity, with a low sheet resistance of 114 mΩ/sq comparable with commonly used conductive metal lines. The fabricated antenna demonstrates good radiative properties at both flat and bent conditions. This confirms the good flexible properties of the antenna making it compatible with mounting on curved surfaces. The performance of the fabricated antenna is also compared with a commercial rigid antenna by interfacing with a USB dongle. The printed antenna demonstrates better performance with respect to signal strength at specific distances when compared with the commercial antenna. This work demonstrates that rigid and long commercial antennas can be replaced with paper-based flexible and cheap antennas and incorporated with wearable technologies. Additionally, replacing Ag NPs with nanowires provides transparency without compromising on the electrical properties.