Dual-Circularly Polarized and Flexible Metasurface Antenna Based on Graphene Assembled Film for Satellite Communications

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2024 Apr 3;16(13):16724-16731. doi: 10.1021/acsami.4c01211. Epub 2024 Mar 20.

Abstract

Traditional metal materials used in electronic devices are often problematic due to issues like bending resistance, oxidation leading to failure, and environmental pollution. To address these challenges, microwave electronic devices are constantly casting around for metal substitute materials with additional characteristics such as flexibility, anticorrosive, and eco-friendly. However, finding suitable materials that are accessible for radiofrequency (RF) applications is a difficult yet promising task. Consequently, a high-performance metasurface antenna based on highly conductive graphene films for satellite communications is developed in this paper. The proposed graphene assembled films (GAFs) have a conductivity of up to 1.13 × 106 S/m. Simulation and measurement results confirm the excellent performance of the designed antenna. Comparative experiments are also conducted on salt spray and mechanical bending between GAF antenna patterns and copper foil counterparts, further demonstrating the outstanding flexible property and corrosion resistance performance of prepared GAFs.

Keywords: dual-circular polarization; flexibility; graphene assembled film; metasurface antenna; satellite communication.