Structural modifications induced by compressive plastic deformation in single-step and sequentially irradiated UHMWPE for hip joint components

Structural modifications were studied at the molecular scale in two highly crosslinked UHMWPE materials for hip-joint acetabular components, as induced upon application of (uniaxial) compressive strain to the as-manufactured microstructures. The two materials, quite different in their starting resins and belonging to different manufacturing generations, were a single-step irradiated and a sequentially irradiated polyethylene. The latter material represents the most recently launched gamma-ray-irradiated polyethylene material in the global hip implant market. Confocal/polarized Raman spectroscopy was systematically applied to characterize the initial microstructures and the microstructural response of the materials to plastic deformation. Crystallinity fractions and preferential orientation of molecular chains have been followed up during in vitro deformation tests on unused cups and correlated to plastic strain magnitude and to the recovery capacity of the material. Moreover, analyses of the in vivo deformation behavior of two short-term retrieved hip cups are also presented. Trends of preferential orientation of molecular chains as a function of residual strain were similar for both materials, but distinctly different in their extents. The sequentially irradiated material was more resistant to plastic deformation and, for the same magnitude of residual plastic strain, possessed a higher capacity of recovery as compared to the single-step irradiated one.