BIOTRIBOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF THE BILAYER SYSTEM: HA/ZRO_2 ON 316LSS

摘要

Orthopedic prostheses have to be highly resistant to wear and physiological corrosion. The bilayer system HA/ZrO2/316LSS is proposed in this work as a coating that fulfills these requirements, because it a presents very good physiological corrosion resistance. The hydroxyapatite coating was deposited by screen printing on 316LSS previously covered by electrophoresis with a zirconia thin film and thermally treated at 650 °C for 5 min. The biotribological characterization was carried out on 316LSS hip heads and acetabular cups in Hip Simulator FIME II equipment, using bovine fetal serum (BFS) as a lubricant. Scanning electron microscopy images were obtained at the beginning and at the end of the test in order to observe the wear produced on the samples. EDS chemical analysis was also obtained. From the obtained results, the role of the hydroxyapatite as a solid lubricant was elucidated and it was concluded that the bilayer system actually works efficiently to protect the 316LSS prosthesis under extreme working conditions.