Analysis of parasitic effects of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) electrolyte on liquid-metal monopole antennas

Liquid metal alloys are being researched as a safe alternative to mercury in many different applications. One of these applications is using the liquid metal to form a reconfigurable antenna that allows changing frequency, beam steer, or polarization in real-time by injecting or retracting the liquid metal. Due to the formation of an oxidation layer on top of the liquid metal, researchers have been using an electrolyte to corrode this layer. This letter will analyze the effect this electrolyte has on the return loss of the antenna. Preliminary results show the electrolyte changes the effective length of the antenna, causing it to have a minimum return loss value at lower frequencies than predicted from the metal height alone.