Nanoliter viscometer for analyzing blood plasma and other liquid samples.

We have developed a microfabricated nanoliter capillary viscometer that quickly, easily, and inexpensively measures the viscosity of liquids. The measurement of viscosity is based on capillary pressure-driven flow inside microfluidic channels (depth approximately 30 microm and width approximately 300 microm). Accurate and precise viscosity measurements can be made in less than 100 s while using only 600 nL of liquid sample. The silicon-glass hybrid device (18 mm by 15 mm) contains on-chip components that measure the driving capillary pressure difference and the relevant geometrical parameters; these components make the nanoliter viscometer completely self-calibrating, robust, and easy to use. Several different microfabricated viscometers were tested using solutions with viscosities ranging from 1 to 5 cP, a range relevant to biological fluids (urine, blood, blood plasma, etc.). Blood plasma samples collected from patients with the symptoms of hyperviscosity syndrome were tested on the nanoliter capillary viscometer to an accuracy of 3%. Such self-calibrating nanoliter viscometers may have widespread applications in chemical, biological, and medical laboratories as well as in personal health care.