Improved friction and wear performance in polymeric components of orthopaedic bearings.

每年有近25，000名加拿大人和600，000名全世界的人植入人工膝关节。这些器械通常使用由金属（钴Chrome）和塑料（高分子量聚乙烯）制成的专用组件进行设计。 它们是严重退行性关节疾病的首选治疗方法，现在正在植入活跃的患者中，其中一些人年仅45岁。 因此，提高其耐久性的需求增加，特别是在塑料部件的磨损方面。 虽然用于髋关节的聚乙烯设计有所改进，但对于高应力关节（如膝关节），情况并非如此。

Nearly 25,000 Canadians and 600,000 worldwide are implanted with an artificial knee each year. These devices are most often designed using specialized components made of metal (cobalt chrome) and plastic (ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene). They are the treatment of choice for severe degenerative joint disease, and they are now being implanted in active patients, some as young as 45. As a result, there is an increased need to improve their durability, particularly with respect to wear in the plastic component. While there have been improvements in the design of polyethylene for use in hips, this has not been the case for highly stressed joints such as the knee.