$\text{Ti}_{3} \mathrm{C}_{2} ~\mathrm{T}_{x}$ Mxene Coated Polylactic Acid Horn Antenna for Ku Frequency Band Communications

Increasing demand for high-performance wireless communications in emerging high-speed and low-latency systems drives innovative methods in antenna designs, fabrications, and manufacturing processes. This work, for the first time, presents polylactic acid (PLA)-based 3D-printed horn antenna coated with $\text{Ti}_{3} \mathrm{C}_{2} ~\mathrm{T}_{x}$ MXene from aqueous colloidal solution to produce metallically conductive layer. The fabricated antenna operates at Ku band frequencies (12 to 18 GHz) with simulated gain of $\sim 16.9 \mathbf{d B i}$ and measured reflection coefficient of below -16.4 dB. The structure of this horn antenna follows a commercially available metallic antenna with similar dimensions and flange sizes compatible with WR-62 waveguide. In a Tx/Rx configuration where the antennas were located one meter apart from each other, the average magnitude of the transmission coefficient of the MXene-coated antenna demonstrated $\sim 0.25 ~\text{dB}$ difference compared to the response of its metallic (aluminum) counterpart over a 6 GHz frequency. Furthermore, this unique method of fabrication resulted in a factor of 3 weight reduction compared to the metallic counterpart, which is important for low-weight and portable antenna arrays. Additionally, a significant manufacturing cost reduction is expected when replacing metal antennas with coated polymer devices.