On the rheology of refractive-index-matched, non-Newtonian blood-analog fluids for PIV experiments

Four commonly used refractive-index (RI)-matched Newtonian blood-analog fluids are reviewed, and different non-Newtonian blood-analogs, with RI of 1.372–1.495, are investigated. Sodium iodide (NaI), sodium thiocyanate (NaSCN) and potassium thiocyanate are used to adjust the RI of blood-analogs to that of test sections for minimizing optical distortions in particle image velocimetry data, and xanthan gum (XG) is added to the fluids to give them non-Newtonian properties (shear thinning and viscoelasticity). Our results support the general belief that adding NaI to Newtonian fluids matches the RI without changing the kinematic viscosity. However, in contrast to claims made in a few studies that did not measure rheology, our investigation revealed that adding NaI or NaSCN to XG-based non-Newtonian fluids changes the viscosity of the fluids considerably and reduces the shear-thinning property. Therefore, the RI of non-Newtonian blood-analog fluids with XG cannot be adjusted easily by varying the concentration of NaI or NaSCN and needs more careful rheological study.