Preparation and characterization of UHMWPE reinforced with polyester fibers for artificial cervical disc replacement...

The purpose of this paper is to report on the preparation and improvement of a biocomposite material made from ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene for the replacement of natural discs. Such replacements are necessary due to intervertebral disc degradation as humans age, which can cause persistent pain due to nerve compression and high friction between vertebrae that can lead to vertebral corrosion. The material was shown to have excellent mechanical properties such as low coefficient of friction, and biocompatibility; however, it degraded with time due to wear failure. Moreover, The wear resistance was related to many factors, such as toughness.In the methodology of the current study, UHMWPE is reinforced with different percent of polyester (2, 4, 6, 8, 10%) to improve the mechanical properties of the polymer disc, thus enhancing its toughness and providing its high bearing ability for the load.The findings revealed that the tensile strength and modulus of elasticity improved by 43.415% and 34.286%, respectively, with the 6% polyester fibers due to the excellent entanglement between the matrix and reinforcing phase. The other mechanical properties, such as flexural strength and modulus, impact strength, fracture toughness, and compression strength, were also enhanced in this study. The highest value at 6% polyester fiber was found to be due to good bonding and adhesion between the polymer and polyester fibers. The Fourier Transformation Spectroscopy (FTIR) showed a shift on some peaks.The originality of this work is that the improvements due to the new bio-composite polymers for artificial implant cervical discs can open many applications in future for these materials.