A Textile EBG-Based Antenna for Future 5G-IoT Millimeter-Wave Applications

A millimeter-wave (mmWave) textile antenna operating at 26 GHz band for 5G cellular networks is proposed in this paper. The electromagnetic characterization of the textile fabric used as substrate at the operating frequency was measured. The textile antenna was integrated with an electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) structure and placed on a polyester fabric substrate around the antenna. Results showed that the proposed EBG significantly improved the performance of the antenna. The gain and energy efficiency at 26 GHz were 8.65 dBi and 61%, respectively (an increase of 2.52 dB and 7% compared to a conventional antenna), and the specific absorption rate (SAR) was reduced by more than 69.9%. Good impedance matching of the fabricated antenna at the desired frequency was observed when it was bent and worn on the human body. The structure is simple, compact, and easy to manufacture. It may well be suitable for integration into applied clothing in various fields, especially for future IoT applications.