Stretchable Conductive Ink Based on Polysiloxane-Silver Composite and Its Application as a Frequency Reconfigurable Patch Antenna for Wearable Electronics.

The rapid progress in electronic applications for movable devices requires the conductive matrix to be not only flexible but also stretchable. A simple microstrip patch antenna was fabricated based on silver ink polysiloxane composite with a stretchable polysiloxane substrate at a resonance frequency of 2.50 GHz. It is designed at a postpercolation threshold of 35, 45, and 60 vol % conductive filler loading so as to allow a consistent conductivity at an ample range of cyclic stretching. With the presence of coupling agent and additives, the patch antenna displayed an extremely good adhesion between the ink and the substrate, which prevents any local rupture during stretching. Variable range hopping model verified that conductivity occurs through hopping and tunneling mechanisms, giving transient optimum conductivity in the range of 10-70 S/cm at 10-20% strain amplitude range. The fabricated prototype of microstrip patch antenna displayed a decreasing resonant frequency with strain. Of note, the radiation loss and the bandwidth values are proportionally related to the conductivities during stretching. These results verified the proposed mechanisms of construction and destruction of conductivity occurring during the percolation threshold process. The fabricated antenna proved the feasibility for use as a stretchable device at an ultrahigh-frequency band.