Review on Blood Flow Dynamics in Lab-on-a-Chip Systems: An Engineering Perspective

Area of Science:

• Microfluidics and Biomedical Engineering
• Fluid Dynamics and Transport Phenomena
• Biophysics of Blood Flow

Background:

• Blood flow in lab-on-a-chip (LOC) systems is influenced by transport mechanisms and shear rates, affecting transport phenomena.
• The viscoelastic properties of blood, including red blood cell elasticity and dynamic viscosity, play a crucial role in these systems.
• Understanding these dynamics is essential for developing advanced LOC devices for biological applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review blood flow patterns in LOC systems, emphasizing the impact of viscoelasticity and electro-osmotic forces.
• To explore the application of electro-osmotic viscoelastic flow disturbances for enhancing mixing and separation in LOC devices.
• To identify challenges and future research opportunities in numerical modeling of blood flow in microfluidic systems.

Main Methods:

• Review of experimental, theoretical, and numerical approaches to study blood transport in LOC systems.
• Analysis of key parameters including capillary and electro-osmotic forces.
• Discussion of viscoelastic fluid flow under electrokinetic effects.

Main Results:

• Blood flow dynamics in LOC systems are significantly affected by viscoelastic properties and electro-osmotic forces.
• Electro-osmotic viscoelastic flow disturbances can enhance mixing and separation capabilities in LOC devices.
• Challenges exist in numerical modeling, necessitating simplified blood flow models and studies on electrokinetic effects.

Conclusions:

• A comprehensive perspective on blood flow dynamics in microfluidic systems driven by capillary and electro-osmotic forces is provided.
• Future research should focus on accurate numerical models for viscoelastic fluid flow and practical zeta potential assumptions.
• Enhanced understanding can lead to improved LOC device performance for blood and other viscoelastic fluid handling.