Cell-free layer of red blood cells in a constricted microfluidic channel under steady and time-dependent flow conditions

Abstract

In this work, we provide a quantitative understanding of the organization and the cell-free layer dynamics of red blood cells in a stenosed microchannel. We present a microfluidic experimental method that allows us to resolve the spatiotemporal evolution of the cell-free layer under time-dependent driving of the flow with arbitrary waveform. Our work reveals a phase inversion of the temporal cell-free area before the constriction due to symmetry breaking at finite inertia, as demonstrated by complementary numerical simulations.