Enhanced gain with CRM inspired star shaped microstrip patch antenna for wireless application

This paper presents a novel metamaterial-inspired star shaped microstrip patch antenna (MPA) designed for enhanced performances in wireless applications. Unlike conventional MPA designs that suffer from low gain, narrow bandwidth, and poor radiation efficiency, the proposed antenna introduced a circular ring metamaterial (CRM) structure with cross shaped defected ground structure (Cr-DGS) to significantly enhance gain, directivity, and radiation characteristics. The antenna is designed on FR-4 substrate material with a relative permittivity of 4.4 and loss tangent of 0.025, and resonating frequency of 2.82 GHz using a coaxial probe feeding mechanism for impedance matching. The antenna is designed with an overall dimension of \(50\, \times 50 \times 1.6\) mm³, which is operated at 1 GHz to 4 GHz. A key innovation lies in the integration of symmetric CRM units and star shaped patch, which facilitates uniform current distribution and superior electromagnetic field confinement. Simulation and experimental results confirm maximum gain values of 7.3 dB and directivity of 6.6 dB, which outperform several recent benchmark designs. This unique combination of geometry and metamaterial engineering establishes the proposed model as a compact, high-performance solution for next generation wireless systems, including IoT and 5G.