Swinging of red blood cells under shear flow.
We reveal that under moderate shear stress (etagamma[over ] approximately 0.1 Pa) red blood cells present an oscillation of their inclination (swinging) superimposed to the long-observed steady tank treading (TT) motion. A model based on a fluid ellipsoid surrounded by a viscoelastic membrane initially unstrained (shape memory) predicts all observed features of the motion: an increase of both swinging amplitude and period (1/2 the TT period) upon decreasing etagamma[over ], a etagamma[over ]-triggered transition toward a narrow etagamma[over ] range intermittent regime of successive swinging and tumbling, and a pure tumbling at low etagamma[over ] values.
Abkarian
Manouk
M
Laboratoire des Colloïdes, Verres et Nanomatériaux, UMR 5587, CNRS/UM2, CC26, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France. abkarian@lcvn-montp2.fr
Faivre
Magalie
M
Viallat
Annie
A
D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001809:Blood Viscosity; D004548:Elasticity; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D033081:Shear Strength