Experimental Analysis of Surface-induced Molecular Adsorption in Static Airborne Molecular Communication Environments

In environments where airborne molecular communication (AMC) is used, the choice of surface materials can significantly affect system performance by altering the concentration and persistence of molecular signals. To gain first insights into these material-dependent effects, we performed experiments in a small closed chamber with a high surface-to-volume ratio and compared the observed AMC signals when varying the inner surface between borosilicate glass and polyethylene (PE)-based plastic. In contrast to plastic, the glass environment produced a signal with a more distinct pattern and shorter duration, showing the impact of material in the environment on molecular retention. This behavior can be attributed to differences in surface interactions, in particular the adsorption (and potentially partial absorption) and subsequent desorption of molecules on plastic surfaces. Our results underline the need to explicitly consider the properties of surface materials in the development and modeling of AMC systems.