Performance of a lozenge monopole antenna made of pure composite laminate

Abstract

The use of carbon-fiber tissue as a replacement for metal radiating element has been investigated to fabricate microwave antennas embedded in composite material panels. A single ply of a dry carbon-fiber tissue with a 0.15 Ω/sq sheet resistance value and a square shape (50mm × 50mm) acts as the radiating element. It has been embedded inside the glass-fiber and polyester resin composite laminate by using the infusion technique. The measured radiofrequency characteristics of the pure composite antenna are presented, discussed and compared to those of a reference counterpart, made from a plain metal sheet. The pure composite antenna exhibits a measured gain strictly alike to that of the reference antenna up to 2.1 GHz.