Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube thin film loading for tuning microstrip patch antennas

In this paper, the tunability of a patch antenna using Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube (MWCNT) thin film deposition is addressed. Screen printing technique is used to insert a CNT film in a loading stub connected to the antenna patch. The variation of the CNT surface impedance modifies the resonant frequency by about 230 MHz from the reference value, as revealed by comparison of return loss measured with and without the CNT loading. Radiation pattern for these two cases is also studied for various layer thicknesses of the film.