Density Matters: The Effect of SPION Sedimentation on Molecular Communication

Xiao K, Wille L, Fleischhauer D, Lotter S, Lyer S, Drummer D, Fischer G, Kirchner J (2026)


Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2026

Journal

Original Authors: Keyu Xiao, Luiz C. P. Wille, Daniel Fleischhauer, Sebastian Lotter, Stefan Lyer, Dietmar Drummer, Georg Fischer, Jens Kirchner

Book Volume: 12

Pages Range: 875 - 881

DOI: 10.1109/TMBMC.2026.3720566

Abstract

Superparamagnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) have emerged as promising information carriers in the field of molecular communication (MC). However, a critical discrepancy exists between theoretical models and experimental realities: while theoretical frameworks typically assume neutral buoyancy and neglect gravitational forces, practical implementations exhibit significant gravity-induced sedimentation. This oversight leads to substantial prediction errors and system unreliability. To address this, we developed an experimental testbed featuring a vertically oriented bifurcated channel, specifically designed to isolate and quantify the impact of gravity on signal propagation. Our experimental results empirically demonstrate that sedimentation causes significant deviations in channel impulse response (CIR), contradicting the simplifying assumptions found in existing literature. Furthermore, we elucidate the physical mechanism of sedimentation based on hydrodynamic instability to clarify the factors driving this settling behavior. This work highlights the necessity of incorporating gravitational effects into system modelling to ensure accurate performance assessment in realistic MC environments.

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How to cite

APA:

Xiao, K., Wille, L., Fleischhauer, D., Lotter, S., Lyer, S., Drummer, D.,... Kirchner, J. (2026). Density Matters: The Effect of SPION Sedimentation on Molecular Communication. IEEE Transactions on Molecular, Biological and Multi-Scale Communications, 12, 875 - 881. https://doi.org/10.1109/TMBMC.2026.3720566

MLA:

Xiao, Keyu, et al. "Density Matters: The Effect of SPION Sedimentation on Molecular Communication." IEEE Transactions on Molecular, Biological and Multi-Scale Communications 12 (2026): 875 - 881.

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