Characterization of TixZn(1-x)Al2O4 nanoparticles by sol-gel method for wireless patch antenna applications

Scientists have been searching for new microwave dielectric materials due to the need for miniaturization and weight reduction of wireless patch antenna. The sol–gel method was used to prepare the TiχZn(1-χ)Al2O4 (x = 0.25) microwave dielectric ceramic nanoparticles and various measurements were carried out. The distinctive peaks of titanium and zinc aluminate with the typical face-centered cubic structure was noticed in the X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to confirm the functional groups, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) was used to analyze the crystalline structure and the elemental composition was confirmed using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The substitution of Zn2+ for Ti2+ in ZnAl2O4 nanoparticles increased crystallite size, affecting dielectric permittivity. The dielectric permittivity (εr) of TiχZn(1-χ)Al2O4 nanoparticles was calculated using a 100 KHz to 1 MHz LCR spectrometer. It can be demonstrated that the Ti0.25Zn0.75Al2O4 sample has εr 22.78–23.45, making it a viable material for millimeter-wave applications. Additionally, a prototype patch antenna with dimensions 2.5 cm × 1.5 cm was fabricated using these dielectric ceramic nanoparticles and tested using a network analyzer, which exhibited a return loss of −12.82 dB at an operating frequency of 2.12 GHz.