Study on the Haemolysis in Porous Media for Blood Separation

Haemolysis, the breakdown of red blood cells, could lead to the release of the intracellular components into the plasma and thus significantly affect the accuracy of blood diagnosis. This thesis aims to understand the mechanism of haemolysis in the process of blood plasma separation in porous membranes. It reveals that wall shear stress is unlikely to be the primary cause of haemolysis. Instead, haemolysis is mainly induced by the puncture of red blood cells caused by sharp ends in porous membranes.