Development of Key Technology to Attain a Novel Kind of Artificial Acetabulum

Aging of the population is a growing problem in Hong Kong. Most elderly suffer from degenerative hip diseases. Artificial prostheses are commonly utilized for hip treatments. The ideal artificial acetabulum should not only match the mechanical properties of the human skeleton but also has superior biocompatibility and wear resistance. In these aspects, carbon fibers are utilized to reinforce polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) based artificial acetabulum with better mechanical properties. Subsequently, the obtained specimens will be multiply functionalized by using plasma immersion ion implantation: the inner surface of the polymeric acetabulums will be implanted/deposited with a diamond-like carbon coating to improve the wear resistance and the external surface will be endowed with better osteogenic and antibacterial properties, the desired performance of the functionalized polymeric acetabulums can be anticipated.