An Ionic-Polymer-Metallic Composite Actuator for Reconfigurable Antennas in Mobile Devices

Sensors

Yi-Chen Lin²  Chung-Yi Yu²  Chung-Min Li²  Chin-Heng Liu²  Jiun-Peng Chen¹  Tah-Hsiung Chu¹ 

[1] Graduate Institute of Communication Engineering, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei 106, Taiwan; E-Mails:;Graduate Institute of Photonics and Optoelectronics, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei 106, Taiwan; E-Mails:

关键词: reconfigurable antenna;    RF switch;    electro-active polymer actuator;   

DOI  :  10.3390/s140100834

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

In this paper, a new application of an electro-active-polymer for a radio frequency (RF) switch is presented. We used an ionic polymer metallic composite (IPMC) switch to change the operating frequency of an inverted-F antenna. This switch is light in weight, small in volume, and low in cost. In addition, the IPMC is suitable for mobile devices because of its driving voltage of 3 volts and thickness of 200 μm. The IPMC acts as a normally-on switch to control the operating frequency of a reconfigurable antenna in mobile phones. We experimentally demonstrated by network analysis that the IPMC switch could shift its operating frequency from 1.1 to 2.1 GHz, with return losses of than −10 dB at both frequencies. To minimize electrolysis and maximize the operation time in air, propylene carbonate electrolyte with lithium perchlorate (LiClO₄) was applied inside the IPMC. The results showed that when the IPMC was actuated over three months at 3.5 V, the tip displacement fell by less than 10%. Therefore, an IPMC actuator is a promising choice for application to a reconfigurable antenna.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.