Medical Engineering & Physics
Volume 28, Issue 4 , Pages 323-330, May 2006

Adhesion performance of UHMWPE after different surface modification techniques

  • R. Oosterom

      Affiliations

    • Production Technology, Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Kluyverweg 1, 2629 HS Delft, The Netherlands
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +31 152789489; fax: +31 152781151.
    • ,
  • T.J. Ahmed

      Affiliations

    • Production Technology, Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Kluyverweg 1, 2629 HS Delft, The Netherlands
    • ,
  • J.A. Poulis

      Affiliations

    • Adhesion Institute, Delft University of Technology, Kluyverweg 1, 2629 HS Delft, The Netherlands
    • ,
  • H.E.N. Bersee

      Affiliations

    • Production Technology, Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Kluyverweg 1, 2629 HS Delft, The Netherlands

Received 16 December 2004; received in revised form 18 April 2005; accepted 7 July 2005. published online 23 August 2005.

Abstract 

A novel design of an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) glenoid component has been proposed, based on adhesion to PMMA bone cement. However, due to the non-polar nature of UHMWPE, surface modification techniques are needed to obtain good adhesion and thus for the design to be viable. The aim of the study is to investigate adhesion of UHMWPE after different surface treatments.

Three gas-phase surface modification techniques were investigated, namely UV/Ozone, corona discharge and radio frequency glow discharge plasma, as well as abrasion. The surface treated samples were examined using water contact angle, surface energy and roughness measurements, as well as single lap-joint shear testing using polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) bone cement and methylmethacrylate (MMA) adhesive. The effect of aging on bonded samples has also been investigated.

Corona and glow discharge treatments were found to activate the surface as shown by an increase in surface energy of over 100% in an order of less than a minute, corresponding to an increase in ultimate shear stress from 0.12 to 0.40MPa. In contrast, UV/Ozone required exposure times in the order of minutes to have an effect that was still incomparable to the other gas-phase treatments examined. Abrasion produced slightly better adhesion properties for single lap-joints bonded with PMMA compared to the corona treatment. The best treatment was found to be a combined treatment of surface roughening for 10s, and subsequently a 90s glow discharge treatment, resulting in failure of the UHMWPE sheet material.

Keywords: Joint replacement, Fixation, UHMWPE, Adhesion, Surface modification

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PII: S1350-4533(05)00144-X

doi:10.1016/j.medengphy.2005.07.009

Medical Engineering & Physics
Volume 28, Issue 4 , Pages 323-330, May 2006

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