In this paper, low-cost mold silicone and silicone elastomers are investigated as substrates for the realization of flexible antennas. A methodical dielectric characterization is carried out, followed by a detailed explanation of the manufacturing process of the silicone elastomers. The prepared silicone elastomer substrates are also subjected to mechanical tests to ensure flexibility and robustness. The mechanical tests corroborated the utilization of the prepared silicone elastomers for the flexible antennas. Silicone has limited adhesion to metal, so when producing a silicone substrate, a 0.5 mm deep cavity is created with a negative impression of the intended metal component. Consequently, the metal layer is embedded within the silicon substrate, aligning the top surface of the metal flush with the silicone substrate edges. The radio frequency (RF) structure incorporates ridges within the silicone substrate to form a gap, effectively securing the metal on the surface of the silicone. Finally, to prevent the metal from falling from the silicone substrate, Kapton tape is laminated on the substrate. The wrapping of the Kapton tape additionally provides protection from moisture since the silicone elastomer substrate is prone to moisture absorption. The proposed technique is experimentally verified by designing and prototyping a coplanar patch antenna using copper and conductive woven fiber on the silicone substrate. The simulation analysis and experimentation results authenticated the effectiveness of the proposed technique to design a flexible antenna on the silicone elastomer substrates. It is also concluded that the conductive woven fiber-based prototype offers higher flexibility as compared to the copper-based prototype. It is also clinched that there exists a trade-off in flexibility and performance characteristics due to the conductivity and texture difference between the copper and conductive woven fiber.

中文翻译：

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硅弹性体作为柔性基材：可穿戴天线的介电特性和应用


在本文中，研究了低成本模制硅胶和硅胶弹性体作为实现柔性天线的基板。进行了系统的介电表征，然后详细解释了有机硅弹性体的制造过程。制备的有机硅弹性体基材还经过机械测试，以确保灵活性和坚固性。机械测试证实了所制备的有机硅弹性体可用于柔性天线。硅胶对金属的粘附力有限，因此在生产硅胶基材时，会产生 0.5 毫米深的空腔，并对预期的金属部件产生负面印象。因此，金属层嵌入硅衬底内，使金属的顶表面与硅衬底边缘齐平。射频 (RF) 结构在有机硅基底内结合了脊，以形成间隙，有效地将金属固定在有机硅表面上。最后，为了防止金属从硅胶基材上掉落，将 Kapton 胶带层压在基材上。由于有机硅弹性体基材容易吸湿，Kapton 胶带的包裹还提供了防潮保护。通过在硅树脂基板上使用铜和导电编织纤维设计和原型制作共面贴片天线，对所提出的技术进行了实验验证。仿真分析和实验结果验证了所提出的技术在硅弹性体基板上设计柔性天线的有效性。还得出的结论是，与铜基原型相比，基于导电编织纤维的原型具有更高的灵活性。 人们还确信，由于铜和导电编织纤维之间的导电性和质地差异，在灵活性和性能特性方面存在折衷。