A Compound Frequency- and Polarization- Reconfigurable Crossed Dipole Using Multidirectional Spreading of Liquid Metal

We present a crossed dipole with frequency and polarization agility using electrochemically actuated liquid metal. For the first time, this antenna uses multidirectional displacement of liquid metal to enable frequency and polarization reconfiguration without the need for mechanical pumps or semiconductor devices. The dipole arms are composed of liquid metal that can be shortened and lengthened within the capillaries by applying DC voltages to each arm. Varying the lengths of the dipole arms generates two independently tuned, linearly polarized resonances from 0.8 to 3 GHz and polarization that can be switched from linear to circular over a portion of this band (0.89–1.63 GHz). Moreover, a circuit model predicts the circular polarization frequency from the input impedance. Simulation and experimental results validate the antenna concept and analysis techniques.