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AssigneeThe Regents of the University of California
InventorsKyriakos Komvopoulos, Catherine M. Klapperich, Lisa A. Pruitt, Stephen L. Kaplan
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The surface of a high molecular weight polymer such as high molecular weight polyethylene is modified in a localized manner by treatment with a plasma gas. The treatment produces a variety of useful results, depending on the gas used and the treatment conditions. One such result is crosslinking of the polymer in a localized manner at the surface to improve the durability of the surface against detrimental processes such as reorientation and alignment of the crystalline lamellae parallel to the contact surface which renders the surface susceptible to disintegration into particles. Another result is the chemical transformation of the surface for purposes such as increasing the hydrophilic or hydrophobic nature of the surface or coupling functional groups to the surface.
An articulatable prosthetic implant comprising a polymeric component having a surface in sliding contact with a further component of said implant and a bulk substrate beneath said surface, said polymeric component comprised of a biologically compatible organic polymer with a crosslinking profile normal to said surface, said crosslinking profile defined by a crosslinking density at said surface that is sufficiently great to inhibit crystalline lamella formation at said surface and a crosslinking density in said bulk substrate that is substantially lower than that of said surface, said crosslinking profile produced by a process comprising contacting said surface with a substance in gaseous plasma state at a sufficient power density and for a sufficient exposure time to effect crosslinking of polymer in said polymeric component at said surface.
An articulatable prosthetic implant comprising a polymeric component having a surface in sliding contact with a further component of said implant, said polymeric component comprised of a biologically compatible organic polymer with organic fluoride groups bonded thereto at said surface at sufficient density to improve resistance of said polymeric component to wear, said organic fluoride groups bonded to said polymer by a process comprising contacting said surface with an organic fluoride in gaseous plasma state at a sufficient power density and for a sufficient exposure time to effect bonding of said organic fluoride to said surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.