Chemical Reactions-Based Microfluidic Transmitter and Receiver Design for Molecular Communication
Chemical Reactions-Based Microfluidic Transmitter and Receiver Design for Molecular Communication
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DOI：
10.1109/tcomm.2020.2993633
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发表时间：
2020-09-01
影响因子：
8.3
通讯作者：
Nallanathan, Arumugam
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Bi, Dadi;Deng, Yansha;Nallanathan, Arumugam
能够通过分子和化学过程处理和交换信息的通信系统的设计是一个迅速发展的跨学科领域，它有望彻底改变我们实现计算和通信设备的方式。虽然分子通信(MC)理论近年来有了很大的发展，但在设计具有分子通信功能的组件方面更实用的方面还很少被探索。本文设计了基于化学反应的微流控器件，实现了二进制浓度移位键控(BCSK)调制和解调功能。结合已有分子脉冲调制信息传输的MC文献，我们提出了一种微流控MC发射机的设计，该发射机能够在矩形触发信号上连续产生预定义的脉冲形状的分子浓度，从而实现调制功能。我们进一步设计了一种微流控接收器，该接收器能够利用阈值反应和放大反应将接收信号解调成矩形输出信号。我们的基于化学反应的微流控分子通信系统具有重复性好、参数可优化的特点。更重要的是，它克服了细胞内生物过程的缓慢、不可靠和不可伸缩性。为了揭示设计思路，我们还推导了所设计的微流控发射器和接收器的理论信号响应，进一步促进了发射器的优化设计。我们的理论结果通过COMSOL多物理有限元求解器的模拟得到了验证。我们演示了产生的脉冲和解调的矩形信号的预定义性质以及它们对设计参数的依赖关系。
The design of communication systems capable of processing and exchanging information through molecules and chemical processes is a rapidly growing interdisciplinary field, which holds the promise to revolutionize how we realize computing and communication devices. While molecular communication (MC) theory has had major developments in recent years, more practical aspects in designing components capable of MC functionalities remain less explored. This paper designs chemical reactions-based microfluidic devices to realize binary concentration shift keying (BCSK) modulation and demodulation functionalities. Considering existing MC literature on information transmission via molecular pulse modulation, we propose a microfluidic MC transmitter design, which is capable of generating continuously predefined pulse-shaped molecular concentrations upon rectangular triggering signals to achieve the modulation function. We further design a microfluidic MC receiver capable of demodulating a received signal to a rectangular output signal using a thresholding reaction and an amplifying reaction. Our chemical reactions-based microfluidic molecular communication system is reproducible and its parameters can be optimized. More importantly, it overcomes the slow-speed, unreliability, and non-scalability of biological processes in cells. To reveal design insights, we also derive the theoretical signal responses for our designed microfluidic transmitter and receiver, which further facilitate the transmitter design optimization. Our theoretical results are validated via simulations performed through the COMSOL Multiphysics finite element solver. We demonstrate the predefined nature of the generated pulse and the demodulated rectangular signal together with their dependence on design parameters.