PMMA based ultra miniaturized implantable antenna for biotelemetry applications

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Electromagnetics

Background:

• Advancements in engineered biomedical materials are crucial for medical breakthroughs.
• Poly (Methyl Methacrylate) (PMMA) is a biocompatible material suitable for implantable devices.
• Accurate characterization of material dielectric properties is essential for realistic performance evaluation of implantable antennas.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and evaluate a compact, miniaturized Poly (Methyl Methacrylate) (PMMA)-based implantable antenna.
• To operate within the Wireless Medical Telemetry Service (WMTS) band at 1.4 GHz for biotelemetry applications.
• To assess antenna performance and safety (Specific Absorption Rate - SAR) when implanted in skin and muscle tissues.

Main Methods:

• Experimental characterization of PMMA dielectric properties.
• Design and simulation of a miniaturized implantable antenna using PMMA.
• Fabrication and testing of antenna prototypes in human tissue-emulated phantom models (skin and muscle).
• Verification of simulated results against experimental measurements.

Main Results:

• A compact implantable antenna with a volume of 38.4 mm³ was designed.
• Antenna gain was measured at -17.93 dBi in skin and -28.15 dBi in muscle tissue.
• Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) was maintained below 1.6 Watts/kg, ensuring safety.
• Experimental results closely matched simulated performance.

Conclusions:

• The developed PMMA-based implantable antenna is suitable for wireless medical telemetry.
• The antenna achieves reliable performance and meets safety standards for implantation in skin or muscle.
• A robust link budget was established for short-range indoor biotelemetry systems.