Assessment of amorphous carbon coating for artificial joints application
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abstract
Replacement of diseased or damaged human joints with artificial ones is now a common surgical procedure with a very high success rate. The hip and the knee are the two most replaced joints. Currently, these artificial joints only last 10-15 years before failing by aseptic loosening due to periprosthetic osteolysis. The root cause of osteolysis has been traced to the body's response to the presence of polyethylene wear debris, which is one of the articulating bearing surfaces. Thus, elimination or reduction of wear at the rubbing interface of the joint is expected to prevent or at least delay onset of osteolysis, thereby increasing joint reliability and durability. Highly wear-resistant and biocompatible bearing surfaces can lower debris generation in artificial joints. In the present study we evaluated the friction and wear performance of newly developed Argonne carbon coatings and two ceramic materials (alumina and zirconia) as possible joint-bearing surfaces. Tests were conducted with a reciprocating pin-on-plate contact configuration using bovine serum as lubricant. Wear of the ceramic materials was substantially (two orders of magnitude) less than that of polyethylene, and the wear of the carbon coating was several times less than that of the ceramic materials. Results of the present study demonstrate that a plausible approach to enhance the durability of artificial joints is the engineering of the bearing surfaces with a highly wear-resistant coating. Copyright Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers.
