Magnetorheological Characterization of Blood Analogues Seeded with Paramagnetic Particles

Magnetic particles can be useful in various medical applications, gaining access to the whole body if deployed in the blood stream. Localised drug delivery, haemorrhage control and cancer treatment are among the applications with potential to become revolutionary therapies. Despite this interest, a magnetorheological characterisation of particle-seeded blood has yet to be achieved. In this work, we evaluate the magnetorheological response of polymeric blood analogues seeded with paramagnetic particles in different concentrations, under the effects of a uniform, density-varying magnetic field. Through steady shear experiments, we encounter the usual magnetically-induced shear thinning response, and oscillatory shear results point toward some significant alterations in the fluids' microstructure. However, experimental limitations make it difficult to accurately evaluate the oscillatory shear response of such rheologically subtle fluids, limiting both the quality and quantity of achievable information. Despite experimental limitations, our results demonstrate that magnetic fields can induce marked and quantifiable rheological changes in seeded blood analogues. The framework established here provides a foundation for future studies on real blood samples and for the design of magnetically responsive biomedical systems.