Microrheometer for biofluidic analysis: Electronic detection of the fluid‐front advancement

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 need-ing 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.