A study of liquid metal alloy reconfigurable antennas embedded in a structural composite

The design and excitation of a liquid metal alloy antenna embedded into structural composite panel is studied. The alloy resides in micro-channels embedded into the composite panel that allows it to be pumped in and out of the panel to form the electrical paths necessary for the antenna. The antenna geometry is a derivative of a zig-zag log periodic dipole wire antenna. The excitation of the antenna from a structurally-embedded printed microstrip transmission line is also examined. The operational bandwidth and frequency response are controlled by altering the amount of alloy in the meandering structure of the channels, and preliminary results are provided.