International Journal of

ADVANCED AND APPLIED SCIENCES

EISSN: 2313-3724, Print ISSN: 2313-626X

Frequency: 12

line decor
  
line decor

 Volume 12, Issue 5 (May 2025), Pages: 109-119

----------------------------------------------

 Original Research Paper

Multilayer graphene-based rectenna for RF energy harvesting at the 2.4 GHz band

 Author(s): 

 Dennis Yang Shen Cheah 1, Chia Chao Kang 2, *, Chuan Yi Foo 1, Chia Pao Liew 1, Jian Ding Tan 2, Mohammad Mahdi Ariannejad 2

 Affiliation(s):

  1School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University Malaysia, Sepang, Malaysia
  2School of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Xiamen University Malaysia, Sepang, Malaysia

 Full text

    Full Text - PDF

 * Corresponding Author. 

   Corresponding author's ORCID profile:  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8716-3739

 Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2025.05.011

 Abstract

This research examines the efficiency of copper, single-layer graphene, and multilayer graphene rectennas for radio frequency (RF) energy harvesting at a resonant frequency of 2.4 GHz. Using advanced simulation software, key antenna parameters such as return loss (S11), Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR), gain, and output voltage were analyzed to evaluate the performance of the designed antennas in capturing and converting RF energy. The results show that the multilayer graphene antenna provides the best performance, with a return loss of -44.53 dB and a VSWR of about 1.01, indicating excellent impedance matching and minimal power reflection. Although the copper antenna achieved the highest gain of 5.63 dB, the multilayer graphene antenna showed a similar gain of 5.47 dB, with only a small difference in effective radiated power. In addition, the multilayer graphene antenna produced the highest output voltage among the three types, highlighting its potential for RF energy harvesting. These findings suggest that multilayer graphene can improve the energy harvesting performance of rectennas by enhancing impedance matching and maximizing voltage output. Therefore, multilayer graphene appears to be a promising alternative to traditional copper materials for RF energy harvesting applications, especially for powering low-energy devices such as wireless sensors and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies.

 © 2025 The Authors. Published by IASE.

 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

 Keywords

 RF energy harvesting, Multilayer graphene, Rectenna efficiency, Impedance matching, Output voltage

 Article history

 Received 22 December 2024, Received in revised form 27 April 2025, Accepted 1 May 2025

 Acknowledgment

The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support by Xiamen University Malaysia under Research Fund Grant No: XMUMRF/2025-C15/IECE/0059 and XMUMRF/2023-C12/IECE/0047. 

  Compliance with ethical standards

  Conflict of interest: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

 Citation:

 Cheah DYS, Kang CC, Foo CY, Liew CP, Tan JD, and Ariannejad MM (2025). Multilayer graphene-based rectenna for RF energy harvesting at the 2.4 GHz band. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 12(5): 109-119

  Permanent Link to this page

 Figures

  Fig. 1  Fig. 2  Fig. 3  Fig. 4  Fig. 5  Fig. 6  Fig. 7  Fig. 8  Fig. 9  Fig. 10  Fig. 11  Fig. 12  Fig. 13  Fig. 14  Fig. 15  Fig. 16 

 Tables

  Table 1  Table 2 

----------------------------------------------   

 References (25)

  1. Akbari M, Sydänheimo L, Juuti J, Vuorinen J, and Ukkonen L (2014). Characterization of graphene-based inkjet printed samples on flexible substrate for wireless sensing applications. In the IEEE RFID Technology and Applications Conference, IEEE, Tampere, Finland: 135-139.  https://doi.org/10.1109/RFID-TA.2014.6934215    [Google Scholar] PMid:24833825 PMCid:PMC4021653
  2. Bao Z and Chen X (2016). Flexible and stretchable devices. Advanced Materials, 28(22): 4177-4179.  https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201601422    [Google Scholar] PMid:27273438
  3. Carbajales RJ, Zennaro M, Pietrosemoli E, and Freitag F (2015). Energy-efficient Internet of Things monitoring with low-capacity devices. In the IEEE 2 nd World Forum on Internet of Things (WF-IoT), IEEE, Milan, Italy: 305-310.  https://doi.org/10.1109/WF-IoT.2015.7389071    [Google Scholar]
  4. Chao KC, Ain MF, and Zubir IA (2014). Modeling and simulation using circular spiral antenna array for RF harvesting. IOSR Journal of Electronics and Communication Engineering, 9(2): 19-22.  https://doi.org/10.9790/2834-09231922    [Google Scholar]
  5. Cheah DYS, Kang CC, Tan JD, Ariannejad M, and Chang CCW (2024). Graphene-based materials for energy harvesting at microwave frequencies: A comprehensive review. Jurnal Kejuruteraan, 36(2): 509-516.  https://doi.org/10.17576/jkukm-2024-36(2)-12    [Google Scholar]
  6. Chen Z, Guo B, Yang Y, and Cheng C (2014). Metamaterials-based enhanced energy harvesting: A review. Physica B: Condensed Matter, 438: 1-8.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physb.2013.12.040    [Google Scholar]
  7. Hui Y, Zu H, Song R, Fu H, Luo K, Tian C, Wu B, Huang GL, Kou Z, Cheng X, and He D (2023). Graphene-assembled film-based reconfigurable filtering antenna with enhanced corrosion-resistance. Crystals, 13(5): 747.  https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst13050747    [Google Scholar]
  8. Islam MS, Ibrahimy MI, Motakabber SMA, and Hossain AZ (2018). A rectangular inset-fed patch antenna with defected ground structure for ISM band. In the 7 th International Conference on Computer and Communication Engineering, IEEE, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: 104-108.  https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCCE.2018.8539260    [Google Scholar]
  9. Krajewska A, Pasternak I, Sobon G, Sotor J, Przewloka A, Ciuk T, Sobieski J, Grzonka J, Abramski KM, and Strupinski W (2017). Fabrication and applications of multi-layer graphene stack on transparent polymer. Applied Physics Letters, 110(4): 041901.  https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4974457    [Google Scholar]
  10. Le T, Mayaram K, and Fiez T (2008). Efficient far-field radio frequency energy harvesting for passively powered sensor networks. IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, 43(5): 1287-1302.  https://doi.org/10.1109/JSSC.2008.920318    [Google Scholar]
  11. Lukacs P and Pietrikova A (2022). Graphene-based UWB antenna on the polyimide substrate. In the International Conference on Diagnostics in Electrical Engineering (Diagnostika), IEEE, Pilsen, Czech Republic: 1-4.  https://doi.org/10.1109/Diagnostika55131.2022.9905230    [Google Scholar]
  12. Papotto G, Carrara F, and Palmisano G (2011). A 90-nm CMOS threshold-compensated RF energy harvester. IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, 46(9): 1985-1997.  https://doi.org/10.1109/JSSC.2011.2157010    [Google Scholar]
  13. Prauzek M, Konecny J, Borova M, Janosova K, Hlavica J, and Musilek P (2018). Energy harvesting sources, storage devices and system topologies for environmental wireless sensor networks: A review. Sensors, 18(8): 2446.  https://doi.org/10.3390/s18082446    [Google Scholar] PMid:30060513 PMCid:PMC6111894
  14. Ram P, Banu NM, and Light RRJ (2021). Multilayer screen printed flexible graphene antenna for ISM band applications and energy harvesting. Materials Today: Proceedings, 45: 2508-2513.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.11.123    [Google Scholar]
  15. Ram P, Masoodhu Banu N, and Rachel Jeeva Light R (2023). Design and testing of graphene-based screen printed antenna on flexible substrates for wireless energy harvesting applications. IETE Journal of Research, 69(6): 3604-3615.  https://doi.org/10.1080/03772063.2021.1934127    [Google Scholar]
  16. Shinohara N (2013). Rectennas for microwave power transmission. IEICE Electronics Express, 10(21): 20132009-20132009.  https://doi.org/10.1587/elex.10.20132009    [Google Scholar]
  17. Sindhu B, Kothuru A, Sahatiya P, Goel S, and Nandi S (2021). Laser-induced graphene printed wearable flexible antenna-based strain sensor for wireless human motion monitoring. IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, 68(7): 3189-3194.  https://doi.org/10.1109/TED.2021.3067304    [Google Scholar]
  18. Subbyal H, Ali W, and Liguo S (2022). Compact antenna integrated with a Greinacher voltage multiplier for ambient energy harvesting applications. International Journal of RF and Microwave Computer‐Aided Engineering, 32(12): e23473.  https://doi.org/10.1002/mmce.23473    [Google Scholar]
  19. Tran L-G, Cha H-K, and Park W-T (2017). RF power harvesting: A review on designing methodologies and applications. Micro and Nano Systems Letters, 5: 1-16.  https://doi.org/10.1186/s40486-017-0051-0    [Google Scholar]
  20. Ullah MA, Keshavarz R, Abolhasan M, Lipman J, Esselle KP, and Shariati N (2022). A review on antenna technologies for ambient RF energy harvesting and wireless power transfer: Designs, challenges and applications. IEEE Access, 10: 17231-17267.  https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2022.3149276    [Google Scholar]
  21. Yang S, Lohe MR, Müllen K, and Feng X (2016). New‐generation graphene from electrochemical approaches: Production and applications. Advanced Materials, 28(29): 6213-6221.  https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201505326    [Google Scholar] PMid:26836313
  22. Zhang J, Wang Y, Song R, Kou Z, and He D (2024). Highly flexible graphene‐film‐based rectenna for wireless energy harvesting. Energy and Environmental Materials, 7(2): e12548.  https://doi.org/10.1002/eem2.12548    [Google Scholar]
  23. Zhen Z and Zhu H (2018). Structure and properties of graphene. In: Zhu H, Xu Z, Xie D, and Fang Y (Eds.), Graphene: 1-12. Academic Press, Cambridge, USA.  https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-812651-6.00001-X    [Google Scholar]
  24. Zhong YL, Tian Z, Simon GP, and Li D (2015). Scalable production of graphene via wet chemistry: Progress and challenges. Materials Today, 18(2): 73-78.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mattod.2014.08.019    [Google Scholar]
  25. Zhu Y, Ji H, Cheng H-M, and Ruoff RS (2018). Mass production and industrial applications of graphene materials. National Science Review, 5(1): 90-101.  https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwx055    [Google Scholar]