Rheological behavior probed by vibrating microcantilevers

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that vibrating microcantilevers can be used to quantify fluid properties such as density and viscosity. Contrary to classical rheological measurements using microcantilevers, the development of the proposed microrheometer is based on the measurement of fluid properties over a range of vibration frequencies, without necessarily being restricted to resonant phenomena. To this end, an analytical model is implemented and, when combined with measurements, allows the determination of the viscosity as a function of frequency. The preliminary results are encouraging for the development of a useful microrheometer on a silicon chip for microfluidic applications.