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

每年有近2.5万加拿大人和全球60万人植入人工膝关节。这些设备通常使用由金属(钴铬)和塑料(超高相对分子质量聚乙烯)制成的特殊部件进行设计。它们是治疗严重退行性关节疾病的首选药物，现在正被植入活跃的患者身上，其中一些人只有45岁。因此，越来越需要提高它们的耐用性，特别是在塑料部件中的磨损方面。尽管用于髋关节的聚乙烯的设计有所改进，但对于膝盖等高应力关节来说，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.