6 GHz microstrip patch antennas with PEDOT and polypyrrole conducting polymers

Two 6 GHz microstrip patch antennas made from conducting polymers with relatively low DC conductivity such as PEDOT (10000 S/m) and PPy (2000 S/m) are presented. The performance of these patch antennas is compared with a similar copper patch antenna. The results indicate that it is possible to obtain reasonable performance albeit with modest radiation efficiencies. The PEDOT antenna achieved a maximum gain of 2.2 dB, while the PPy antenna reached a gain of 3.8 dB, as against 6.0 dB for a corresponding Cu patch antenna The results confirm the potential of polymer materials for microwave antennas and suggest that CPs may be of use in other passive microwave circuit applications.