We present a simple model for a patch antenna based on metamaterial concepts operating in the microwave region with a bandwidth of 1.9–2.6 GHz. The small size and the relatively large operational band make this device exploitable for electromagnetic energy harvesting in urban environments. Describing the antenna by an equivalent circuit composed of a transmission line having right/left hand properties with a RC load, we can properly account for the phase dynamics in correspondence of resonances characterized by a specific handedness. The model is validated measuring the response of the reflection scattering parameter S1,1 for a copper prototype fabricated on a FR4 printed circuit board.
Italian technological district for the engineering of polymeric and composite materials and structures