Design and investigation of an ultra-wideband microstrip patch antenna for biomedical on-body applications

Microstrip antennas are increasingly utilized in space-borne applications, spanning areas such as RFID, mobile communication, and healthcare. This paper introduces a novel wearable ultra-wideband (UWB) microstrip patch antenna, distinctively designed in a star shape. The antenna, with a total volume of 1172 mmAcirc;& scedil;, is crafted on a semiflexible substrate using RT/duroid 5880. It exhibits a low loss tangent of 0.0004 and a relative permittivity of 2.2. The proposed design achieves a resonant frequency of 3.4 GHz, an impressive reflection coefficient of -39 dB, and an extensive bandwidth of 5.6 GHz, ranging from 2.8 to 8.4 GHz. Although the antenna demonstrates modest gain and directivity, its expansive bandwidth is a significant attribute. This wideband antenna is proposed as an ideal candidate for wearable biomedical applications, leveraging its substantial bandwidth and unique design characteristics.