Exploring the diversity of antenna-based sensors: A comparative study of slot, dipole, electromagnetic band gap, and patch designs

This paper presents a comprehensive comparative review of four widely used antenna-based sensor designs: slot, dipole, electromagnetic band gap (EBG), and patch antennas, highlighting their roles in various sensor applications. These antennas offer advantages, such as compact size, high sensitivity, ease of fabrication, and design flexibility, which make them be attractive for applications in environmental monitoring, health diagnostics, and structural sensing. The study investigates the operating principles, material configurations, and sensing mechanisms of each antenna type with an emphasis on how variations in the surrounding dielectric environment alter the effective permittivity and subsequently induce measurable shifts in the antenna's resonant frequency. Comparative analyses are conducted based on dielectric materials, operating frequency ranges, sensing targets, and resonance frequency shift, which serves as the primary sensing parameter. The findings highlight the adaptability and application-specific advantages of antenna-based sensors, that offer scalable solutions in a broad range of applications. • Provides a comparative review of four antenna-based sensors: slot, dipole, EBG, and patch antennas. • Examines sensing mechanisms driven by changes in resonant frequency shifts. • Reviews performance based on dielectric materials, frequency ranges, and sensing targets. • Discusses the versatility, sensitivity, and application-specific benefits for sensing applications.