Silicone rubber‐nanoceramic composites for 5G antenna substrates

Abstract

Here, the eligibility of silicone rubber‐nanoceramic composites as flexible substrates for sub‐6 GHz 5G antennas is investigated. Two different composites are prepared using the solution mixing method, namely mono and hybrid composites. The reflection and transmission coefficient (S‐parameters) of composites are measured using a rectangular waveguide‐based transmission line technique in conjunction with a Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) at C‐band frequencies (4–8 GHz). The Nicolson–Ross–Weir (NRW) algorithm is adopted to extract the complex permittivity and loss tangent of the material under test. Due to the synergetic effect, the silicone rubber hybrid composite (0.12BiVO4+0.12LaNbO4) exhibits the advantage of a lowered loss tangent while retaining a good dielectric constant at 5.78 GHz. A rectangular microstrip patch antenna is designed and simulated with CST software using 0.12BVO/0.12LNO/0.76SR composite as a substrate. Moreover, based on the simulation, the antenna with the proposed substrate has acceptable performance at 5.78 GHz with the return loss, directivity, and gain of −25.05 dB, 5.46 dBi and 2.74 dBi, respectively. As a result, the composite material's ability to act as a suitable substrate for a 5 GHz Wi‐Fi antenna is confirmed.