A miniaturized mechanical antenna based on FEP/THV unipolar electrets for extremely low frequency transmission

Abstract

An electret-based mechanical antenna (EBMA), which can transmit extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic signals, has the advantages of miniaturization and high transmitting efficiency, with great potential applications in air, underwater, and underground communications. To improve the charge density of the electret, which is a key factor in determining the radiation performance of an EBMA, this work proposes a fluorinated ethylene propylene/terpolymer of tetrafluoroethylene, hexafluoropropylene and vinylidene fluoride (FEP/THV) unipolar electret exhibiting negative polarity, reaching a total charge density up to −0.46 mC/m2 for each layer of electret. Long transmission distances can be achieved in sea water, soil, and air using a 3-layer-FEP/THV-based EBMA with a compact volume of 5 × 10−4 m3. As an application demonstration, binary ASCII-coded ELF information of “BUAA” is successfully transmitted with a power consumption < 5 W. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]