A Highly Transparent Flexible Antenna Based on Liquid Metal Mesh Film

Abstract

In this paper, a convenient process for the fabrication of flexible liquid metal mesh films (LMMF) is proposed first. Then, the light transmittance and square resistance characteristics of LMMF are studied theoretically and experimentally. The light transmittance of the LMMF can reach 85% when the line width and spacing are 50 μm and 1000 μm, respectively. Furthermore, as an example of LMMF, a coplanar waveguide loop antenna is designed and fabricated that contains an LMMF with a line width of 50 μm and a line spacing of 500 μm. The measured square resistance and transmittance for the LMMF are 0.0456 Ω/sq and 72%, respectively. The measured peak gain of the antenna is 3.38 dBi while the average efficiency is 61%. The antenna’s working frequency covers most of the S-band, C-band, and X-band, as well as multiple channels of fifth generation (5G) communication. Therefore, the antenna can be used in fields such as radar and mobile communication. Uniquely, the fabricated antenna performs well in terms of light transmission, conductivity, and flexibility. In particular, it remains stable in stretching and bending deformation. As a highly light-transmissive stretchable flexible antenna, the antenna is equipped with various functions such as concealability, conformability, and reconfigurability. This LMMF-based antenna has good prospects for applications in the fields of flexible electronics and transparent electronics.