Recent Research in Reconfigurable Antenna and Metasurfaces for 5G and Beyond

Dear Colleagues,

The most essential features for present-day and impending applications ranging from communication to entertainment and healthcare are high data rates, high reliability, low latency, and interference-free transmission. In fact, these growing demands are the main driving force behind recent remarkable developments in wireless networks at microwave, millimeter-wave and terahertz frequency ranges. Currently, 5G technology is progressing rapidly. However, such advancements are also associated with challenges. Therefore, engineers need to be aware of the latest developments carrying 5G forward. The rapid development of emerging technologies such as three-dimensional (3D) media, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), and virtual reality led to the up-gradation and transition of 5G to 6G communications. Although the 6G wireless standard is not yet fully defined, the main focus of 6G will be on higher capacity, broader coverage, ultra-low latency, and high security. The successful deployment of wireless networks relies greatly on antenna design, and future wireless networks are no exception.

Reconfiguration is an important aspect of 5G antennas for diverse utilization, including cognitive radio communication, radar and space applications. Wider bandwidth and high-speed data transmission require antenna reconfiguration in order to comply with the requirements of 5G technology for broader bandwidth coverage in mobile communication. Additionally, extensive research areas exist covering radiation pattern and polarization-reconfigurability. The requirement of modern wireless communication systems for the antennas to have various main beam angles can be obtained through pattern diversity. Thus, reconfigurable antennas can adapt to their environment by changing their operating frequency, polarization and/or radiation pattern.

Recently, metasurfaces have shown remarkable capabilities to control and manipulate electromagnetic (EM) waves. This development in metasurfaces has opened new opportunities in antenna design, sensing, and communications systems. In particular, reconfigurable metasurfaces lead to the development of low-cost, compact, and lightweight systems capable of producing programmable radiation patterns and jointly performing multi-function communications and enable advanced sensors for next-generation systems. However, this will also bring significant challenges. Therefore, the complex developmental aspects of future technologies make it essential to evaluate and optimally identify the trade-offs.

This Special Issue focuses on the recent research and technological advancements in the field of reconfigurable antennas and metasurfaces for 5G systems and beyond by bringing together academic and industrial researchers to discuss and identify the technical complexities and challenges. For this Special Issue, we seek original submissions from the scientific community, where submissions may target research concepts or applied research related, but not limited, to the themes included in the list of keywords below.

Dr. Wahaj Abbas Awan
Dr. Syeda Iffat Naqvi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• 5G antennas
• millimeter-wave
• 6G antennas
• THz antenna
• MIMO antennas
• flexible and wearable antennas
• reconfigurable antennas and devices
• metasurface antenna
• reconfigurable metasurfaces
• flexible metasurfaces
• intelligent metasurfaces
• antenna design and optimization techniques