Conformal load-bearing polymer-carbon nanotube antennas and RF front-ends

Abstract

We presented a novel process for constructing high conductivity CNT surfaces. This is done by growing high density CNTs on light-weight and highly flexible polymer substrates. The proposed vertically aligned CNT printing technology can also be adapted for constructing flexible RF circuits integrated on a variety of commercial and defense related applications. Given the desirable RF and mechanical properties of polymer composites and CNTs, we expect a significant impact on multilayer integration of miniature and light-weight transceivers for future UAVs and body-worn applications.