Authors: A DornerReisel G Gärtner G Reisel G Irmer
Publish Date: 2007/12/22
Volume: 390, Issue: 6, Pages: 1487-1493
Abstract
In artificial prosthetics for knee hip finger or shoulder joints ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene UHMWPE is a significant material Several attempts to reduce the wear rate of UHMWPE ie the application of suitable coatings are in progress A surface modification of polyethylene with wearresistant hydrogenated diamondlike carbon is favourable owing to the chemical similarity of polyethylene –C–H2– n and CH or amorphous CH a–CH coatings with diamondlike properties In the present study the microstructure of a–CH coatings on UHMWPE substrates was investigated by Raman and Fourier transform infrared FTIR spectroscopy FTIR spectroscopy shows very broad absorption lines which point to the disorder and diversity of different symmetric asymmetric aromatic olefin sp 2hybridized or sp 3hybridized C–H groups in the amorphous diamondlike carbon coating Following a long incubation of 12 months in a simulated body liquid the structural investigations were repeated Furthermore fractured crosssections and the wetting behaviour with polar liquids were examined After incubation in simulated body liquid Raman spectroscopy pointed to a reduction of the C–H bonds in the diamondlike carbon coatings On the basis of these findings one can conclude that hydrogenated diamondlike carbon is able to interact with salt solutions by substituting the hydrogen with appropriate ions
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