Transparent and Flexible Self-Dual Antennas for Hybrid Inductive/Capacitive and Radiative Power Transfer

Abstract

In this paper, we present a compact, low-profile, transparent and flexible antennas for multiband wireless power transfer (WPT) systems. We design and experimentally demonstrate new types of multiband antennas capable of near-field inductive or capacitive wireless power transfer (13.56 MHz), and far-field radiative power transfer (2.45 GHz). The invisible self-dual antennas can be integrated with nearly unseeable integrated circuits for rectification of electromagnetic waves. In particular, the optically-transparent antennas are made of nanoengineered composites, comprising an ultra-thin copper-doped silver nanofilm and anti-reflection dielectric protection layers, which can simultaneously minimize the optical loss and electrical resistivity. We envision that these transparent WPT tags may be beneficial for a wide range of applications, such as smart windows and glasses, integrated power supply, bioimplants, and wearable electronics.