Synthesis and characterization of gahnite-based microwave dielectric ceramics (MDC) for microstrip antennas prepared by a sol–gel method

Gahnite (zinc aluminate) nanoparticle powder is synthesized by a sol–gel method and used to fabricate a microstrip antenna. X-ray diffraction analysis indicates the formation of a face-centered cubic gahnite structure with an average crystallite size of 19.92 nm. The surface morphology of the gahnite is analyzed with field-emission scanning electron microscopy. The presence of water molecules and nitrates within the material is confirmed by Fourier transform infrared analysis. The measured dielectric constant, bandgap and unloaded quality factor of the synthesized powder are 8.70, 4.08 eV and 4592, respectively. The performance of the microstrip antenna is evaluated using return loss, (S11) parameter analysis. The measured impedance bandwidth is 760 MHz in the low-frequency band and 8.1 GHz in the high-frequency band. The overall performance demonstrates that the fabricated ceramic is suitable for application in a microstrip antenna.Graphical Abstract

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