Reactive Receiver Modeling for Diffusive Molecular Communication Systems with Molecule Degradation

TL;DR

This paper develops an analytical model for diffusive molecular communication channels considering molecule degradation and receptor reactions, validated by simulations, to improve understanding of nano-scale communication in fluid environments.

Contribution

It introduces a closed-form expression for the expected receptor activation in molecular communication systems with degradation and reversible reactions, advancing modeling accuracy.

Findings

Analytical expression matches simulation results.

Degradation impacts receptor activation levels.

Model enhances understanding of nano-communication channels.

Abstract

In this paper, we consider the diffusive molecular communication channel between a transmitter nano-machine and a receiver nano-machine in a fluid environment. The information molecules released by the transmitter nano-machine into the environment can degrade in the channel via a first-order degradation reaction and those that reach the receiver nano-machine can participate in a reversible bimolecular-reaction with receiver receptor proteins. We derive a closed-form analytical expression for the expected received signal at the receiver, i.e., the expected number of activated receptors on the surface of the receiver. The accuracy of the derived analytical result is verified with a Brownian motion particle-based simulation of the environment.