Ti, Zr and Ta coated UHMWPE aiming surface improvement for biomedical purposes

Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is widely used in bearing components. However, in this type of application, wear issues leading to formation of debris in regions near the implant may arise, causing inflammation of the tissue. Due to this, this paper seeks to improve surface properties by the deposition of Ti, Zr and Ta thin films on the surface of UHMWPE by magnetron sputtering. It was possible to define which of the deposited films presented better results. Metallic coatings with thicknesses ranging from 288 to 440 nm showed a significant improvement in wettability, hardness, toughness and roughness. In addition, they showed excellent adhesion strength front to pull-off and nanoscratch tests, and no contaminants in the compositional analyzes performed by Rutherford backscatter spectrometry (RBS). From an electrochemical viewpoint, the order of choice for metal coating over UHMWPE would be Ta, Ti, and Zr, respectively. Overall, these coatings offer an improved surface for biomedical applications, especially when mechanical stresses are required. [Display omitted] •UHMWPE surface properties improvement by deposition of Ti, Zr and Ta thin films by magnetron sputtering.•Metal coatings showed a significant improvement in the wettability, hardness, toughness and roughness of UHMWPE.•Ti, Zr and Ta thin films deposited on UHMWPE showed excellent adhesion resistance against pull-off and nanoscratch tests.•Electrochemical tests showed that these metals are corrosion resistant, being a good option to coat UHMWPE.