[Back]

V. Archodoulaki, T. Koch, A. Rodriguez, S. Seidler:
"Influence of different sterilization procedures on the morphological parameters and mechanical properties of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene";
Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 120 (2011), 4; 1875 - 1884.

The objectives of this study were to examine
the effects of the processing conditions, sterilization,
and thermal treatment on the morphological and mechanical
properties of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene
(UHMWPE) in medical applications by means of thermal
analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and
nanoindentation. It is well known that manufacturing,
irradiation, and thermal treatments significantly alter the
microstructure of materials, which results in changes in
their mechanical properties. UHMWPE was found to be
barely sensitive to processing conditions but strongly
influenced by sterilization treatments. Great emphasis was
given to the characterization of the so-called first generation
of highly crosslinked UHMWPE because the thermal
history of this material differed from that of c-irradiated
materials. The physical and mechanical properties of
UHMWPE were influenced as a result of c and electronbeam
irradiation and the remelting procedure. Lower crystallinity,
different lamellar thickness distributions, and
lower hardness and modulus values were estimated.

biomaterials, mechanical properties, morphology, polyethylene

http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/app.31437