Flexible fabric antenna system comprising conductive polymers and method of making same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11043728-B2
Application number	US-201916393064-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2019
Priority date	Apr 24, 2018
Publication date	Jun 22, 2021
Grant date	Jun 22, 2021

Abstract

Disclosed herein are flexible metal-free antenna systems using fabric coated with electrically conductive polymers.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A flexible metal-free antenna system, comprising:
a radiating element comprising a conductive polymer fabric, wherein the conductive polymer fabric comprises an electrically conductive polymer disposed on at least a portion of a fibrous substrate,
wherein
the electrically conductive polymer is a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), a substituted poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), poly(thiophene), a substituted poly(thiophene), poly(pyrrole), a substituted poly(pyrrole), poly(aniline), a substituted poly(aniline), poly(acetylene), poly(p-phenylenevinylene) (PPV), a poly(indole), a substituted poly(indole), a poly(carbazole), a substituted poly(carbazole), a poly(azepine), a (poly)thieno[3,4-b]thiophene, a substituted poly(thieno[3,4-b]thiophene), a poly(dithieno[3,4-b:3′,4′-d]thiophene), a poly(thieno[3,4-b]furan), a substituted poly(thieno[3,4-b]furan), a derivative thereof, or
the electrically conductive polymer is in the form of a conducting polymer:template polymer comprising units of a conducting monomer wherein the conducting monomer is thiophene, substituted thiophene, 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene, thieno[3,4-b]thiophene, substituted thieno[3,4-b]thiophene, dithieno[3,4-b:3′,4′-d]thiophene, thieno[3,4-b]furan, substituted thieno[3,4-b]furan, bithiophene, substituted bithiophene, pyrrole, substituted pyrrole, phenylene, substituted phenylene, naphthalene, substituted naphthalene, biphenyl and terphenyl and their substituted versions, phenylene vinylene, substituted phenylene vinylene, aniline, substituted aniline, the monomers disclosed herein as structures (I)-(XXIX), or a combination thereof, and
the template polymer is a polyanion acting as a counterion for a conducting polymer.

2. The antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the antenna system is a monopole antenna, a dipole antenna, a loop antenna, a conical antenna, or a patch antenna.

3. The antenna system of claim 1 or 2 , wherein the antenna is arrayed for enhanced directivity, radiation efficiency, power, and functionality.

4. The antenna system of claim 1 , wherein
the electrically conductive polymer is PEDOT and the conducting polymer:template polymer is PEDOT:PSS.

5. The antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the fibrous substrate is a natural material, a synthetic material, or a combination thereof, and
the fibrous substrate is a knit fabric, a woven fabric, a nonwoven fabric, or a combination thereof.

6. The antenna system of claim 1 , wherein
the fibrous substrate comprises wool, cotton, rayon, nylon 6, nylon 66, nylon 610, nylon 12, co-polymerized nylon, polyethylene terephthalate, polytrimethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polypropylene terephthalate, polyurethane, polypropylene, polyethylene, spandex (polyurethane-polyurea copolymer), polyester-based polyurethane, copolymers thereof, or a combination thereof;
a polyester-polyurethane copolymer and optionally further comprising polyacrylic, polyamide, polycarbonate, polyether, polyester, polyethylene, polyimide, polyurethane, polyurea, polythiourea, polysiloxane, polyisoprene, polybutadiene, polyethylene oxide, polylactic acid, blends or copolymers thereof.

7. The antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the conductive polymer fabric is
a fibrous substrate comprising polymeric fibers comprising nucleophile derivatized nanoparticles wherein a portion of the nucleophile derivatized nanoparticles are located at the surface of the polymeric fibers; and
the electrically conductive polymer disposed on at least a portion of the polymeric fibers of the fibrous substrate and at least in partial contact with the nucleophile derivatized nanoparticles, the electrically conductive polymer may be in the form of a conducting polymer:template polymer.

8. The antenna system of claim 7 , wherein the nucleophile derivatized nanoparticles comprise silica, titania, alumina, calcium oxide, amine functionalized nanoparticles, or a combination thereof.

9. The antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the conductive polymer fabric comprising an electrically conducting polymer further comprises a secondary dopant.

10. The antenna system of claim 1 , comprising:
a ground plane layer;
a fabric dielectric layer in contact with a first surface of the ground plane layer; and
the radiating element in contact with a portion of a surface of the fabric dielectric layer opposite to the ground plane layer.

11. The antenna system of claim 10 , comprising
two or more fabric dielectric layers between the ground plane layer and the radiating element;
two or more radiating elements in an array on the surface of the fabric dielectric layer opposite to the ground plane layer; or
a combination thereof.

12. The antenna system of claim 10 ,
wherein the conductive polymer fabric comprising the electrically conductive polymer is a portion of the fabric dielectric layer coated with the electrically conducting polymer; or
wherein the conductive polymer fabric comprising the electrically conductive polymer is a separate element from the fabric dielectric layer.

13. The antenna system of claim 10 , wherein:
the ground plane layer comprises a PEDOT:PSS printed electrode;
the fabric dielectric layer comprises polyester; and
the radiating element comprises a conductive polymer fabric comprising PEDOT:PSS.

14. The antenna system of claim 10 , wherein the fabric dielectric layer comprises a flexible or a flexible and stretchable fabric.

15. The antenna system of claim 10 , wherein the ground plane layer comprises an electrically conducting polymer.

16. The antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises a radio frequency connector.

17. The antenna system of claim 1 , incorporated in a garment, footwear, headwear, wrist band, chest strap, belt, a household textile product, or an automobile textile product.

18. The antenna system of claim 1 , wherein
the antenna operates as a transmitter and/or receiver at about 2.35 GHz corresponding to Wi-Fi/Bluetooth® frequency;
the antenna functions as a component of a Doppler radar system; or
the antenna operates as a sensor to track movement.

19. A process of making an antenna system, comprising:
applying a dispersion of an electrically conductive polymer on a surface of a fibrous substrate to form a conductive polymer fabric;
preparing a radiating element from the conductive polymer fabric; and
preparing a flexible metal-free antenna system comprising the radiating element,
wherein
the electrically conductive polymer is a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), a substituted poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), poly(thiophene), a substituted poly(thiophene), poly(pyrrole), a substituted poly(pyrrole), poly(aniline), a substituted poly(aniline), poly(acetylene), poly(p-phenylenevinylene) (PPV), a poly(indole), a substituted poly(indole), a poly(carbazole), a substituted poly(carbazole), a poly(azepine), a (poly)thieno[3,4-b]thiophene, a substituted poly(thieno[3,4-b]thiophene), a poly(dithieno[3,4-b:3′,4′-d]thiophene), a poly(thieno[3,4-b]furan), a substituted poly(thieno[3,4-b]furan), a derivative thereof; or
the electrically conductive polymer is in the form of a conducting polymer:template polymer comprising units of a conducting monomer wherein the conducting monomer is thiophene, substituted thiophene, 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene, thieno[3,4-b]thiophene, substituted thieno[3,4-b]thiophene, dithieno[3,4-b:3′,4′-d]thiophene, thieno[3,4-b]furan, substituted thieno[3,4-b]furan, bithiophene, substituted bithiophene, pyrrole, substituted pyrrole, phenylene, substi

Assignees

• Univ Connecticut

Inventors

• Sotzing Gregory Allen
• Cao Yang

Classifications

• A43B3/34

  with electrical or electronic arrangements · CPC title

• H01Q1/14 Primary

  for wire or other non-rigid radiating elements · CPC title

• C09D7/65

  macromolecular (C09D7/41-C09D7/48 take precedence) · CPC title

• D06N3/12

  with macromolecular compounds obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds {, e.g. gelatine proteins} · CPC title

• H01Q9/0407

  Substantially flat resonant element parallel to ground plane, e.g. patch antenna (dipole H01Q9/285; monopole H01Q9/40) · CPC title