Effect of Self-Lubricating Carbon Materials on the Tribological Performance of Ultra-High-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene

Abstract

Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) has been the gold standard for total knee replacements. Due to the knee's natural movements, UHMWPE wear debris production is inevitable. The debris, at the micron and submicron level, results in the joint's mechanical instability, reduced mobility, increased pain, and implant loosening. Wear debris production has been linked to UHMWPE mechanical properties; therefore, improvements to increase the UHMWPE mechanical properties will impact the component's longevity. Here, TiC coating and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were used to decrease the UHMWPE wear. After 400,000 cycles, the UHMWPE-MWCNT diminishes the mass loss compared to UHMWPE, and the combination with TiC decreased the material loss by ~ 43.7 % compared to the reference pair. Cold-flow and burnishing were the predominant wear modes.