Capillary-size Flow of Human Blood Plasma: Revealing Hidden Elasticity and Scale Dependence

TL;DR

This study reveals that human blood plasma exhibits scale-dependent elastic properties and thermo-mechanical coupling, challenging traditional models and offering new insights for medical diagnostics and device design.

Contribution

It introduces a scale-aware dynamic analysis of blood plasma, uncovering elastic behavior and boundary interactions overlooked in conventional models.

Findings

Blood plasma shows finite shear elastic response in nearly static conditions.

Elastic behavior is reinforced at smaller scales.

Thermo-mechanical coupling evidenced by local temperature variations.

Abstract

The dynamical mechanical analysis of blood generally uses models inspired by conventional flows, assuming scale-independent homogeneous flows and without considering fluid-surface boundary interactions. The present experimental study highlights the relevance of using an approach in line with physiological reality providing a strong interaction between the fluid and the boundary interface. New dynamic properties of human blood plasma are found: a finite shear elastic response (solid-like property) is identified in nearly static conditions, which also depends on the scale (being reinforced at small scales). The elastic behavior is confirmed by the induction of local hot and cold thermodynamic states evidencing a thermo-mechanical coupling in blood plasma so far known only in elastic materials. This finding opens new routes for medical diagnosis and device fabrication.