title: Rheology of human blood plasma: viscoelastic versus Newtonian behavior.
abstract: We investigate the rheological characteristics of human blood plasma in shear and elongational flows. While we can confirm a Newtonian behavior in shear flow within experimental resolution, we find a viscoelastic behavior of blood plasma in the pure extensional flow of a capillary breakup rheometer. The influence of the viscoelasticity of blood plasma on capillary blood flow is tested in a microfluidic device with a contraction-expansion geometry. Differential pressure measurements revealed that the plasma has a pronounced flow resistance compared to that of pure water. Supplementary measurements indicate that the viscoelasticity of the plasma might even lead to viscoelastic instabilities under certain conditions. Our findings show that the viscoelastic properties of plasma should not be ignored in future studies on blood flow.
authors.affiliation: Experimentalphysik, Universität des Saarlandes, Postfach 151150, 66041 Saarbrücken, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brust
authors.affiliation: Experimentalphysik, Universität des Saarlandes, Postfach 151150, 66041 Saarbrücken, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schaefer
authors.affiliation: Experimentalphysik, Universität des Saarlandes, Postfach 151150, 66041 Saarbrücken, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Doerr
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Arratia
authors.affiliation: Experimentalphysik, Universität des Saarlandes, Postfach 151150, 66041 Saarbrücken, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wagner
mesh_terms: D001809:Blood Viscosity / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques; D010949:Plasma / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology*; D012212:Rheology / Q000379:methods; D014783:Viscosity