Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is the material most commonly used among hard-on-soft bearings in artificial joints. However, the eventual failure of joint implants has been directly related to the wear and oxidation resistance of UHMWPE. The development of novel materials with improved wear and oxidative characteristics has generated great interest in the orthopaedic community and numerous carbon nanostructures have been investigated in the last years due to their excellent mechanical properties.The effect of the addition of GO nanoparticles to UHMWPE and the optimal %wt GO addition were investigated. UHMWPE/GO nanocomposites with different GO wt% contents were prepared and their mechanical, thermal, structural and wettability properties were investigated and compared with virgin UHMWPE.The results showed that the thermal stability, oxidative resistance, mechanical properties and wettability properties of UHMWPE were enhanced due to the addition of GO. UHMWPE/GO materials prepared with up to 0.5 wt% GO exhibited improved characteristics compared to virgin UHMWPE and nanocomposites prepared with higher GO contents. These findings suggest that GO nanoparticles might be an interesting reinforcing material for their use in orthopaedic applications, and more research concerning the biocompatibility and tribological performance of this material is currently under investigation.

Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) has been extensively used as a bearing surface in joint prostheses. However, wear debris generated from this material has been associated with osteolysis and implant loosening. Alternative materials, such as polymer composites, have been investigated due to their exceptional mechanical properties. The goal of the present work was to investigate the wear rate, size and volume distributions, bioactivity and biocompatibility of the wear debris generated from a UHMWPE/Multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanocomposite material compared with conventional UHMWPE. The results showed that the addition of MWCNTs led to a significant reduction in wear rate.Specific biological activity and functional biological activity predictions showed that wear particles from the UHMWPE/MWCNT nanocomposite had a reduced osteolytic potential compared to those produced from the conventional polyethylene. In addition, clinically relevant UHMWPE/MWCNT wear particles did not show any adverse effects on the L929 fibroblast cell viability at any of the concentrations tested over time. These findings suggest that UHMWPE/MWCNT nanocomposites represent an attractive alternative for orthopaedic applications.

In the field of total joint replacements, polymer nanocomposites are being investigated as alternatives to ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)

Carbon based polymer composites have been suggested as an alternative to conventional ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) in total joint replacements. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of graphene oxide (GO) as reinforcement of UHMWPE. Under optimised mixing conditions, the prepared UHMWPE/GO composite showed an enhanced thermal stability compared to conventional UHMWPE. Also, the present study has shown the potential of ball milling as a processing method for synthesising UHMWPE/GO composites to be used in load bearing implants.

Joint replacements have considerably improved the quality of life of patients with joints damaged by disease or trauma. However, problems associated with wear particles generated due to the relative motion between the components of the bearing are still present and can lead to the eventual failure of the implant. The biological response to wear debris affects directly the longevity of the prosthesis. The identification of the mechanisms by which cells respond to wear debris and how particles distribute into the human body may provide valuable information for the long term success of artificial joints. During the last few decades, orthopaedic research has been focused on predicting the in vivo performance of joint replacements. However, the exact relationship between material physicochemical properties and inflammatory response has not been fully understood. Laboratory wear simulators provide an accurate prediction of implant wear performance. Though, particles generated from such wear simulators require validation to compare them with particles extracted from peri-implant tissues. This review focuses initially on the current status of total joint replacements (hard on soft and hard on hard bearings) as well as on the tribological behaviour of the potential materials currently under investigation. Then, the correspondence between particles observed in vivo and those generated in vitro to predict the cellular response to wear debris is discussed. Finally, the biological effects of the degradation products generated by wear and corrosion are described.