Dielectric Characterization of Non-Conductive Fabrics for Temperature Sensing through Resonating Antenna Structures.

Isidoro Ibanez-Labiano,Akram Alomainy

doi:10.3390/ma13061271

Abstract

Seamless integration of electronics within clothing is key for further development of efficient and convenient wearable technologies. Therefore, the characterization of textile and fabric materials under environmental changes and other parametric variations is an important requirement. To our knowledge, this paper presents for the first time the evaluation of dielectric characterization over temperature for non-conductive textiles using resonating structures. The paper describes the effects of temperature variations on the dielectric properties of non-conductive fabrics and how this can be derived from the performance effects of a simple microstrip patch antenna. Organic cotton was chosen as the main substrate for this research due to its broad presence in daily clothing. A dedicated measurement setup is developed to allow reliable and repeatable measurements, isolating the textile samples from external factors. This work shows an approximately linear relation between temperature and textile’s dielectric constant, giving to fabric-based antennas temperature sensing properties with capability up to 1 degree Celsius at millimeter-wave frequencies.

Highlights

Dielectric characterization of materials is crucial to understand the iteration between electromagnetic waves with matters [1,2]
In order to fully develop textile-based technology, the dielectric properties of fabrics need to be quantified. These properties are affected by external factors, such as moisture or relative humidity (RH) content and temperature [3]
In order to design the microstrip patch antenna, the dielectric properties of the four different fabrics considered in this study were calculated at ambient

Summary

Introduction

Dielectric characterization of materials is crucial to understand the iteration between electromagnetic waves with matters [1,2]. In order to fully develop textile-based technology, the dielectric properties of fabrics need to be quantified. These properties are affected by external factors, such as moisture or relative humidity (RH) content and temperature [3]. Previous works [4] have studied the impact of temperature on the dielectric properties of textiles, but without considering the experimental results on several scenarios. An understanding of this phenomenon can be used for sensing applications. Temperature is a crucial parameter to be measured in several fields and applications such as infrastructures, system maintenance, the food industry or body sensing [4,6,7]

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