Abstract
The motivation for this study was to develop a microdevice for the precise rheological characterization of biofluids, especially blood. The method presented was based on the principles of rheometry and fluid mechanics at the microscale. Traditional rheometers require a considerable amount of space, are expensive, and require a large volume of sample. A mathematical model was developed that, combined with a proper experimental model, allowed us to characterize the viscosity of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids at different shear rates. The technology presented here is the basis of a point-of-care device capable of describing the nonlinear rheology of biofluids by the fluid/air interface front velocity characterization through a microchannel. The proposed microrheometer uses a small amount of sample to deliver fast and accurate results, without needing a large laboratory space. Blood samples from healthy donors at distinct hematocrit percentages were the non-Newtonian fluid selected for the study. Water and plasma were employed as testing Newtonian fluids for validation of the system. The viscosity results obtained for the Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids were consistent with pertinent studies cited in this paper. In addition, the results achieved using the proposed method allowed distinguishing between blood samples with different characteristics.
Highlights
While a Newtonian fluid shows a viscosity that is independent of the shear rate, non-Newtonian fluids’ viscosity shows a dependence on the applied shear rate
The curvature of the fluid–air interface was expected to be almost constant for water, standard MGVS60, and plasma; it changed as the pressure was increased when measuring blood (Table 2)
The accuracy of the method was tested by measuring the viscosities of plasma, DI water, and a commercial viscosity standard
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. The study of the viscosity of biofluids, such as blood, has been used to understand their physiological mechanisms and biological functions [1]. Due to their complex properties, most biological fluids have a non-Newtonian behavior. While a Newtonian fluid shows a viscosity that is independent of the shear rate, non-Newtonian fluids’ viscosity shows a dependence on the applied shear rate
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