Highly efficient graphite antennas for conformal applications

A commercially available graphite paper is utilized to realize two highly flexible non-metallic antennas: an ultrawideband (UWB) and a microstrip antenna. The antenna prototypes are measured to have a very high efficiency of 92.3% for the UWB antenna and 79.8% for the patch antenna, averaged over their respective operational ranges. Both antennas exhibit excellent reversible mechanical flexibility which is desirable for conformal applications. These results demonstrate that these materials are promising as flexible, light-weight and environmentally friendly conductors for microwave devices.