Graphene-Coated Fractal Wideband 5G Microstrip Patch Antenna: Design, Fabrication, and Experimental Validation

This paper presents the design, simulation, fabrication, and experimental characterization of a graphene-coated fractal microstrip patch antenna intended for 5G wideband (3–12 GHz) applications. The antenna employs fractal geometries inspired by graphene’s hexagonal lattice to achieve compactness and multiband behavior. Two substrate types, FR (flame retardant)-4 and Rogers RT (Rogers series high frequency laminates)-5880, were used to assess performance variations. Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was synthesized via a modified Hummers method and deposited onto the antenna surfaces using electrophoretic deposition. Simulation results demonstrated excellent impedance matching S11 values of −24 dB (FR-4) and −27.9 dB (Rogers RT-5880), with a peak simulated gain of 4.1 dBi. Experimental measurements confirmed improved performance with rGO coating, achieving −27.63 dB at 9.15 GHz for FR-4 and −27.1 dB at 11.1 GHz for Rogers RT-5880. These findings demonstrate that this integration, novel in its experimental approach, successfully mitigates surface wave losses at higher frequencies and significantly enhances antenna performance for next-generation wireless communication systems.

Cite this article as: B. N. Demirkoparan, A. Altuntepe, E. Biçer and H. D. Basdemir, “Graphene-coated fractal wideband 5G microstrip patch antenna: design, fabrication, and experimental validation,” Electrica, 2026, 26, 0228, doi:10.5152/electrica.2026.25228.