Tribological performance of UHMWPE reinforced with carbon nanotubes in bovine serum

Although the factors that cause the failure of orthopedic implants were not clearly determined, it was reported that the shapes of wear debris affect the tribological behavior of artificial implant. Many researches were conducted to examine the wear mechanism by debris but the role of debris shape in inflammatory reaction remains unclear. To observe the debris shape by addition of reinforcement, carbon nanotubes ( CNTs ) were added to ultra high molecular weight polyethylene ( UHMWPE ) to investigate the reinforcement effect of CNTs. CNTs which have a diameter of about 10-50 nm, while their length is about 3-5 nm were produced by the catalytic decomposition of the acetylene gas using a tube furnace. Plate on disc type wear test were performed to evaluate the tribological performance of UHMWPE composites reinforced with CNTs in lubricating condition ( bovine serum ). The wear losses of CNT added UHMWPE in bovine serum were significantly reduced. Worn surface and wear debris of UHMWPE with CNTs and without CNTs were compared to investigate the reinforcement effect of CNT on tribological behavior.