Scalability of the channel capacity in graphene-enabled wireless communications to the nanoscale

Graphene is a promising material which has been proposed to build graphene plasmonic miniaturized antennas, or graphennas, which show excellent conditions for the propagation of Surface Plasmon Polariton (SPP) waves in the terahertz band. Due to their small size of just a few micrometers, graphennas allow the implementation of wireless communications among nanosystems, leading to a novel paradigm known as Graphene-enabled Wireless Communications (GWC). In this paper, an analytical framework is developed to evaluate how the channel capacity of a GWC system scales as its dimensions shrink. In particular, we study how the unique propagation of SPP waves in graphennas will impact the channel capacity. Next, we further compare these results with respect to the case when metallic antennas are used, in which these plasmonic effects do not appear. In addition, asymptotic expressions for the channel capacity are derived in the limit when the system dimensions tend to zero. In this scenario, necessary conditions to ensure the feasibility of GWC networks are found. Finally, using these conditions, new guidelines are derived to explore the scalability of various parameters, such as transmission range and transmitted power. These results may be helpful for designers of future GWC systems and networks.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author’s final draft

Forward error correction for molecular communications

Communication between nanoscale devices is an area of considerable importance as it is essential that future devices be able to form nanonetworks and realise their full potential. Molecular communication is a method based on diffusion, inspired by biological systems and useful over transmission distances in the nm to μm range. The propagation of messenger molecules via diffusion implies that there is thus a probability that they can either arrive outside of their required time slot or ultimately, not arrive at all. Therefore, in this paper, the use of a error correcting codes is considered as a method of enhancing the performance of future nanonetworks. Using a simple block code, it is shown that it is possible to deliver a coding gain of ∼1.7 dB at transmission distances of . Nevertheless, energy is required for the coding and decoding and as such this paper also considers the code in this context. It is shown that these simple error correction codes can deliver a benefit in terms of energy usage for transmission distances of upwards of for receivers of a radius