Comparison of two planar elliptical ultra-wideband PPy conductive polymer antennas

Abstract

Conductive polymers are a new type of conductive materials that are attractive for application in flexible, and possibly reconfigurable antennas. Two planar elliptical ultra-wideband antennas based on conductive polymers are manufactured. The selected Polypyrrole (PPy) polymer exhibits moderate conductivity but can be produced as rather thick free-standing films up to a size of several hundred micrometers. The efficiency of the conductive materials is estimated based on the comparison of the radiation patterns with those of a reference antenna built from copper. The two PPy samples exhibit the same conductivity, but different thicknesses. Higher efficiency is achieved using the thicker PPy sample, demonstrating efficient operation below one skin depth.