Acetic acid Axial stress Cell surface Coatings Deformation effects Electrical conductivity Electrical resistivity Fabrication Frequency dependence Frequency ranges Industrial robots Low cost Microwave frequencies MXenes Radio frequency Reflectance Resonant frequencies Resonators Spectral sensitivity Substrates Automation Robotics Thin Films
Today’s wireless environments, soft robotics, and space applications demand delicate design of devices with tunable performances and simple fabrication processes. Here we show strain-based adjustability of RF/microwave performance by applying frequency-selective patterns of conductive Ti3C2Tx MXene coatings on low-cost acetate substrates under ambient conditions. The tailored performances were achieved by applying frequency-selective patterns of thin Ti3C2Tx MXene coatings with high electrical conductivity as a replacement to metal on low-cost flexible acetate substrates under ambient conditions. Under quasi-axial stress, the Kirigami design enables displacements of individual resonant cells, changing the overall electromagnetic performance of a surface (i.e., array) within a simulated wireless channel. Two flexible Kirigami-inspired prototypes were implemented and tested within the S, C, and X (2-4 GHz, 4-8 GHz, and 8-12 GHz) microwave frequency bands. The resonant surface, having ~1/4 of the size of a standard A4 paper, was able to steer a beam of scattered waves from each resonator by ~25°. Under a strain of 22%, the resonant frequency of the wired co-planar resonator was shifted by 400 MHz, while the reflection coefficient changed by 158%. Deforming the geometry impacted the spectral response of the components across three arbitrary frequencies in the 4-10 GHz frequency range. With this proof of concept, we anticipate implementing thin films of MXenes on technologically relevant substrates, achieving multi-functionality through cost-effective and straightforward manufacturing.Modern communication applications may demand devices with tunable performances and simple fabrications. Here, we show strain dependent, adjustable RF/microwave performance by applying patterns of conductive Ti3C2Tx MXene coatings on low-cost acetate substrates in a straightforward coating process.
Department of National Defense: W7714-228359
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC): RGPIN-2018-04288
Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI): 38148, 37904
U.S. National Science Foundation: DMR-2041050
UBC-affiliated authors would like to recognize the Syilx Okanagan Nation for using their unceded territory, the land on which this research was conducted. The authors thank Aaryaman Shah for the fabrication of the moving stage. UBC authors thank the Department of National Defense for supporting this work under Contract W7714-228359 and the support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), through grant RGPIN-2018-04288 and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) through grant no. 38148 and 37904. They would also like to thank Rogers Corporation for supplying microwave substrates and CMC Microsystems for their support in the form of software access and equipment. MXenes development at Drexel University was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation grant DMR-2041050.
Resource Type
Journal article
Language
English
Academic Unit
Materials Science and Engineering; A.J. Drexel Nanomaterials Institute
Identifiers
991021902314404721
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
International collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Research Home Page
Browse by research and academic units
Learn about the ETD submission process at Drexel
Learn about the Libraries’ research data management services