Evaluation of Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as a Substrate for the Realization of Flexible/Wearable Antennas and Sensors

Abstract

To demonstrate that the silicone-based polymer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is suitable as a substrate for flexible/wearable antennae and sensors, an investigation of its various properties was carried out. The substrate was first developed in compliance with the requirements, and then its anisotropy was investigated using an experimental bi-resonator approach. This material exhibited modest but discernible anisotropy, with values of ~6.2/25 % for the dielectric constant and loss tangent, respectively. Its anisotropic behavior was confirmed by a parallel dielectric constant (εpar) ~2.717 and an evaluated perpendicular dielectric constant (εperp) ~2.570—εpar > εperp by 5.7%. Temperature affected PDMS’s dielectric properties. Lastly, the simultaneous impact of bending and anisotropy of the flexible substrate PDMS on the resonance properties of planar structures was also addressed, and these had diametrically opposed effects. PDMS appears to be a good contender as a substrate for flexible/wearable antennae and sensors based on all experimental evaluations conducted for this research.