Design, fabrication, and performance evaluation of a cotton-based flexible dual-band antenna with defected ground structures

This study presents the design and fabrication of a cotton-based textile antenna incorporating defected ground structures (DGS) to support dual-band wireless local area network (WLAN) operation, enhance gain, and maintain flexibility. The antenna’s performance was evaluated in terms of return loss, gain, directivity, efficiency, and signal strength, and the experimental results were compared with the simulation results. The antenna exhibited return loss values of −20.99 dB at 4.9 GHz and −14.73 dB at 8.13 GHz, with corresponding gains of 3.71 dBi and 6.48 dBi and an overall efficiency of 56.60% and 63.51% respectively. The measured signal strengths in both frequency bands remained within the reported WLAN operating range. The antenna also maintained satisfactory performance under bending conditions. These results suggest that cotton is a promising substrate for flexible antennas intended for emerging wireless applications.