A 5.8-GHz flexible microstrip-fed slot antenna realized in PEDOT:PSS conductive polymer

A flexible 5.8-GHz microstrip-fed slot antenna realized in thin films of conductive polymer PEDOT:PSS is presented. As a result of the highly conductive and flexible polymeric film utilization, the antenna has a high efficiency of 82% and fully reversible conformability. A PEDOT and a reference copper antenna prototypes have been fabricated and experimentally characterized. The good agreement between simulations and measurements suggests that conductive polymers are a promising class of non-metallic conducting materials for antenna engineering, particularly for conformal designs.