Diffusive Molecular Communication in Partially Blocked Cylindrical Environment

Abstract

Diffusive Molecular Communication (DMC) is considered as a promising approach to realize information exchange among nanomachines in biological environments, particularly for healthcare applications. Inspired by structure of blood vessel clogged partially by a blockage (e.g. due to atherosclerosis disease), a DMC system in a partially blocked biological cylinder is considered in this paper. Diffusive information molecules in the fluid medium are assumed to be exposed to biological receptors on the boundary, degradation reaction, and constant flow. The channel impulse response (CIR) for a point-to-point DMC system is numerically analyzed employing COMSOL Multiphysics tool as a finite-element solver. The impact of different system parameters on the CIR is examined. Our results reveal that the blockage significantly affects the CIR in the biological cylinder which may be employed by nanomachines for detection and characterization of the blockage in the blood vessels.