The increasing demand for wireless connectivity drives the need for advanced antenna technologies, and researchers are now exploring innovative materials to meet this challenge. Sasmita Dash, Constantinos Psomas from the European University, Nicosia, and Ioannis Krikidis from the University of Cyprus, lead a team that investigates the potential of graphene liquid in a novel antenna design. Their work presents a reconfigurable antenna operating at sub-6GHz frequencies, crucial for 5G networks, that utilises the unique properties of this material to achieve beam steering. The team demonstrates 360-degree beam reconfiguration with a significant gain of 6 dBi at 5.5GHz and a wide 24% bandwidth, offering a promising solution for enhancing wireless communication performance and coverage in future networks.
The antenna’s structure incorporates graphene liquid flowing through a channel fabricated atop a liquid crystal polymer substrate, with dimensions of 68mm x 56mm for the substrate and 46mm x 35mm x 3mm for the microfluidic channel. Computational modelling validated the antenna’s performance before physical construction, accurately predicting its behaviour and confirming its potential.,.
Liquid Metal Enables Full Beam Reconfiguration
This work presents a breakthrough in antenna technology, demonstrating a reconfigurable antenna utilizing liquid metal for sub-6GHz communication systems. Researchers achieved full 360-degree beam reconfiguration with a stable reflection coefficient across six distinct directions, 0°, 45°, 135°, 180°, 225°, and 315°, all at a frequency of 5.5GHz. This reconfiguration is accomplished through precise movement of the liquid metal within a microfluidic channel integrated into the antenna design. The antenna consistently delivers a gain of 6 dBi at 5.5GHz, indicating strong signal transmission capability, and maintains a wideband impedance bandwidth of 24%, allowing it to operate effectively across a significant range of frequencies.,.
Liquid Metal Antenna Enables 360° Beam Steering
This research presents a novel antenna design utilizing liquid metal within a microfluidic channel for sub-6GHz wireless communication systems. The antenna achieves beam reconfiguration across a 360-degree angle, directing its signal in six specific directions, 0°, 45°, 135°, 180°, 225°, and 315°, at a frequency of 5.5GHz. Importantly, the antenna maintains a stable signal across all six configurations, demonstrating reliable performance. The design achieves a gain of 6 dBi and a bandwidth of 24%, indicating its potential to meet the demands of increasingly complex wireless networks and expanding user bases.,.
Graphene Liquid Antenna for Beam Reconfiguration
The increasing demand for wireless connectivity drives the need for advanced antenna technologies, and researchers are now exploring innovative materials to meet this challenge. Their work presents a reconfigurable antenna operating at sub-6GHz frequencies, crucial for 5G networks, that utilises the unique properties of this material to achieve beam steering. The team demonstrates 360-degree beam reconfiguration with a significant gain of 6 dBi at 5.5GHz and a wide 24% bandwidth, offering a promising solution for enhancing wireless communication performance and coverage in future networks.
👉 More information
🗞 Sub-6GHz Beam-Reconfigurable Microfluidic Antenna Using Graphene Liquid for 5G Network
🧠 ArXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.17434
