Flexible Dielectric Materials: Potential and Applications in Antennas and RF Sensors

Abstract

Dielectrics are non-conducting substances that are primarily utilized to hold electric charges. These materials are widely employed in the field of chemical mechanical, civil and structural engineering, because of their inherent insulating properties. Besides these domains, dielectric materials are also used in electrical and electronic applications. Dielectric materials have shown an ever-increasing potential in recent years in the fabrication of antennas, sensors, and optical devices that are extensively utilized for on-body, environmental, robotics, and biomedical applications. With inherent electrostatic shielding, insulation, and dielectric relaxations, these materials are used in intelligent electronic devices used for biomedical applications, smart devices, vehicles, and future IoT applications. Numerous applications necessitate multiple kinds of dielectric, classified based on their polarization, flexibility, thickness, dielectric constant, and specific application. In this extensive research review, the characteristics and various aspects of dielectric materials are discussed, followed by a thorough and detailed review of flexible dielectrics and their usage in flexible electronics. Additionally, the practicality and applications of these materials which come from a variety of publications in the literature are also discussed. Moreover, in-depth study of dieletrics in sensors and RF applications are performed.