Effects of gamma radiation on a composite material for biomedical application

M.N.CIAVARO; A.C.ANESSI; M.V. VOGT; N. SANTORO; M.F. DEL GROSSO

Conferencia; ICARST; 2022

High-density polyethylene (HDPE) is a biomaterial that can be applied in the medicinal field. It is a suitable candidate for hip replacement because it is biocompatible and depending on its molecular weight and particular structure, is appropriate for applications where high mechanical performance is required. Moreover, hydroxyapatite (HA) is a bioactive molecule that can be part of an implant and has showed to improve the fixation to the surrounding tissue. Taking into account that in the human body, hip replacement must be changed every ten years because of the alteration in the mechanical properties, it is of interest the development of new biomaterials that might have longer residence time in the body. In order to find a solution to this problem, we developed a composite biomaterial (HDPE – HA) treated with gamma radiation and evaluated some of its properties.