Hybrid quantum-inspired secure and energy-efficient framework for wireless sensor networks using quantum key distribution and optimization techniques

Abstract Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) require secure and energy-efficient communication because sensor nodes operate with limited battery power, constrained communication range, and high vulnerability to interception, spoofing, and malicious forwarding. Existing methods usually optimize security, clustering, or routing independently, which reduces overall network efficiency under dense and adversarial conditions. To address this limitation, this work proposes a hybrid framework named BB84-CFG-OOA, which integrates BB84-inspired Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) for secure session key establishment, Coalition Formation Game (CFG) for stable and energy-aware clustering, and the Orangutan Optimization Algorithm (OOA) for optimal routing path selection. In the proposed framework, BB84 secures control and data communication, CFG forms reliable clusters and selects suitable cluster heads based on energy, trust, and communication cost, and OOA identifies low-cost and secure multihop paths using a composite fitness function involving energy, delay, distance, and trust. Simulation results under standard WSN settings demonstrate the superiority of the proposed model over existing protocols. In the dense 500-node scenario, the proposed BB84-CFG-OOA framework achieves a packet delivery ratio of 94.6%, throughput of 0.86 bps, end-to-end delay of 6.8 s, energy consumption of 126 mJ, packet loss ratio of 6.6%, buffer occupancy of 15.0%, communication cost of 0.16, hop count of 5.6, and network lifetime of 4340 rounds. In addition, the framework retains 0.09 J residual energy at 2000 rounds, confirming better energy preservation. These results indicate that the proposed model significantly improves delivery reliability, communication security, routing efficiency, and network sustainability, making it a promising solution for next-generation WSN applications.