Measurements of wear resistance and metal ion release are important for designing bearing couples or interfaces in total hip arthroplasty (THA). In this study, we investigated wear resistance and metal ion release of surface-modified metal-free all-polymer hip bearings, such as poly(ether-ether-ketone), (PEEK) on cross-linked polyethylene (PEEK-on-CLPE), with a hydrated gel-like surface layer, to propose an improved alternative to the conventional materials used to design THA bearings. The PEEK surface resulted in less metal ion release than the cobalt–chromium–molybdenum (Co–Cr–Mo) alloy surface owing to the lack of metal. The PEEK-on-CLPE bearing (6.33 mg/10⁶ cycles) had lower wear (rate) than the bearing with Co–Cr–Mo alloy-on-CLPE (10.47 mg/10⁶ cycles) under controlled laboratory conditions; the wear performance of the all-polymer hip bearings was further improved with hemi- or both-surface modified with a hydrated poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (PMPC) layer (3.74 and 3.06 mg/10⁶ cycles, respectively). The PMPC-grafted interface of PEEK-on-CLPE will be especially suitable for THA candidates. This study is of key importance for the design of lifelong THA and a better understanding of the limitations resulting from using PEEK. Further studies are necessary to evaluate the possibility of using this material in artificial hips.

中文翻译：

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全聚合物轴承间水合磷脂聚合物界面对全髋关节置换术的疗效

耐磨性和金属离子释放的测量对于设计全髋关节置换术 (THA) 中的轴承对或界面非常重要。在这项研究中，我们研究了表面改性的无金属全聚合物髋关节轴承（例如聚醚醚酮）、（PEEK）在交联聚乙烯（PEEK-on-CLPE）上的耐磨性和金属离子释放。 )，具有水合凝胶状表面层，以提出一种改进的替代方案来替代用于设计 THA 轴承的传统材料。由于缺乏金属，PEEK 表面比钴-铬-钼 (Co-Cr-Mo) 合金表面释放的金属离子更少。PEEK-on-CLPE 轴承（6.33 mg/10 ⁶ 循环）的磨损（速率）低于 Co-Cr-Mo 合金-CLPE 轴承（10.47 mg/10 ⁶ 循环）在受控的实验室条件下；^{全聚合物髋关节轴承的磨损性能通过水合聚（2-甲基丙烯酰氧基乙基磷酸胆碱）（PMPC）层（分别为 3.74 和 3.06 mg/10 6} 个循环）改性的半表面或双表面进一步改善。PEEK-on-CLPE 的 PMPC 接枝接口将特别适用于 THA 候选者。这项研究对于终身 THA 的设计以及更好地理解使用 PEEK 所带来的局限性至关重要。需要进一步的研究来评估在人工髋关节中使用这种材料的可能性。