Flexible RF-antennas coated by a super hydrophobic paint for minimal water absorption

Over the past few years, engineers have been exploring the utilization of various types of substrates like fabrics, organic, and even papers substrate to fabricate microwave components. Use of such flexible substrates renders simplified fabrication process, and can easily lead to low cost mass production and fast turn around. But they generally have a serious problem that is water absorption that would significantly degrade their performance. In this paper, we utilize a super-hydrophobic material to cover these circuits to minimize water absorption while sustaining their RF performance. The results show very consistent performance before and after applying the super-hydrophobic coating on the antenna surface and minimal degradation if any.