To improve performance, reduce size, and minimize the radiation cross section (RCS) of conformal antennas, conformal antennas miniaturized using custom-engineered dielectric and magneto-dielectric nanocomposite materials and multi-materials additive manufacturing (AM) will be demonstrated. Engineering the effective properties of nanocomposite materials by specific concentrations and arrangement of constituent dielectric and magnetic nanoparticles provides additional degrees of design freedom for achieving desired antenna functionalities compared to those designed with homogeneous materials. Using multi-materials 3D additive manufacturing, it is further possible to enhance antenna performance by architecting mixed-material substrates, which are made up of specifically patterned nanocomposite regions, each composed of a material selected for material properties with respect to the electrical and magnetic field characteristics in that region. In the Phase II program, repeatable methods of printing nanocomposites with variable 0% to 50% (volume) nanofiller loading compositions will be demonstrated. Using a spiral development methodology, as materials are optimized, antenna designs will be optimized, fabricated, and tested. After demonstrating that the measured performance of planar antenna arrays matches the specified design intent, conformal antenna arrays will be developed, and preliminary environmental and reliability testing will be performed.
Benefit: There is a need for antennas with wider impedance bandwidth, high gain, and rotatable radiation patterns, particularly in higher frequencies, for communications, military and defense, and healthcare applications. The overall global antenna market (both RF and mmWave), which is growing at a 6.61% CAGR and is expected to be $25.46 billion in 2023. The effect of antennas on base station communication is significantly high due to the proliferation of next-generation wireless technology. More than 80% of mobile data traffic originates or terminates indoors, and mm-length waves do not efficiently penetrate walls. As a result, the global 5G small cell market size has displayed an astounding CAGR of 81.9% over recent years and is set to reach $15.952 billion by 2026.
Keywords: gradient index lens, magneto-dielectric, Antenna, nanotechnology, additive manufacturing, Conformal Antenna, RF, Nanocomposite