CERAMIC COATINGS FOR METAL ORTHOPEDIC PROSTHESES

THE METAL COMPONENT USED IN TOTAL JOINT REPLACEMENT HAS BEENSHOWN TO CAUSE SIGNIFICANT WEAR ON THE POLYETHYLENE ACETABULAR CUP. CERAMIC FEMORAL HEADS, HOWEVER, CAUSE LESS WEAR ON THE POLYETHYLENE, BUT THEIR USE IS NOT WIDESPREAD DUE TO INADEQUATE BULK STRENGTH, ESPECIALLY IN TENSION. IT IS THE SPECIFIC AIM OF THIS RESEARCH TO GROW A CERAMIC (A12O3) ADHERENT FILM ON METAL PROSTHESES IN ORDER TO COMBINE THE ATTRACTIVE SURFACE PROPERTIES OF CERAMIC WITH THE BULK STRENGTH OF METAL. A PROCESS CALLED ION-ASSISTED DEPOSITION WILL BE USED TO FORM A THIN ADHERENT LAYER OF A12O3 CERAMIC ON A CO-CR-MO ALLOY. DEPOSITED FILMS WILL BE EVALUATED FOR ADHESION AND SURFACE ROUGHNESS. PIN-ON-DISK FRICTION AND WEAR TESTS WILLBE PERFORMED TO ESTABLISH THE FRICTION, WEAR, AND CREEP RESULTING FROM THE COATED METAL SAMPLES SLIDING AGAINST POLYETHYLENE. SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION OF THIS RESEARCH WILL PRODUCE LOWER WEAR, LOWER CREEP ARTIFICIAL JOINTS AND WILL ALLOW YOUNGER PATIENTS TO BE TREATED WITH THIS PROCEDURE.