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Composite lubricating layer with enhanced wear-resistant properties between HXLPE and Cu/ZrO2 ceramic friction interface

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Abstract

Poly (2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (PMPC), as a highly hydrophilic as well as biocompatible material, has been widely used in biomedical applications. In this study, the friction reduction and wear resistance of HXLPE were improved by grafting PMPC on its surface. However, the PMPC will be sheared off during friction, which is difficult to meet the long-term service requirements of artificial joints. This can be achieved by improving the lubrication environment to minimize PMPC shedding. To simulate the human lubrication environment, free PMPC (lubrication factor) and Cu2+ (transition group metal ion catalyst) were added to neonatal bovine serum (NBCS). When the friction pair consisting of grafted PMPC-modified HXLPE and Cu/ZrO2 ceramics is rubbed therein, the grafted PMPC interacts with the free PMPC, while Cu2+ catalyzes the oxidative hydrolysis of serum proteins into carbon-containing small molecules and adsorbs on the surface of the Cu/ZrO2 ceramics to form a carbon-rich lubrication layer. The composite lubrication layer consisting of grafted-free PMPC and carbon-rich lubrication layer provides good load-bearing and lubrication properties at the friction interface. And the wear rate is reduced by 45% compared to rubbing in deionized water. This technique can reduce the shedding of grafted PMPC state and improve the load-bearing performance of the interfacial lubrication layer, thus reducing the wear of HXLPE and prolonging the service life of the artificial joint.

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Data availability

The data of this study are available from the corresponding author.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful for the support provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52175191), Joint Fund of the Ministry of Education for Equipment Pre-research (8091B030123), Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province (2023JJ50238), Science and Technology Innovation Program of Hunan Province (2022RC1133).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, 411105, People’s Republic of China

    Liu Sisi, Yuxing Deng, Shengqiang Jiang & Jingang Liu

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  1. Liu Sisi
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Contributions

Sisi Liu and Yuxing Deng performed the measurements and analysis of the whole experimental data and contributed to the writing of the final version. Shengqiang Jiang and Jingang Liu performed the experimental results and the discussion of results.

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Correspondence to Liu Sisi.

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Liu, S., Deng, Y., Jiang, S. et al. Composite lubricating layer with enhanced wear-resistant properties between HXLPE and Cu/ZrO2 ceramic friction interface. J Mater Sci 59, 3970–3983 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-024-09426-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-024-09426-6

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