Magnetically Assisted Fabrication of Surface Textures Based on Nano-Fe3O4 Particles for Artificial Joint Applications
Yichen Zhang, Suqian Wang, Zijian Li, Jiaheng Li, Wenhao Zhu, Weidong Zheng, Qi LiuIntroduction:
Lubrication failure restricts the service life of artificial joints, and surface texturing improves tribological performance by modulating surface micro-topography. This study aims to achieve precise fabrication of micro/nano-scale surface textures on artificial joint surfaces and to promote the enrichment of lubricating biomacromolecules within these regular textures to enhance lubrication performance.
Methods:
Nano-Fe3O4 particles were synthesized via co-precipitation coupled with hydrothermal treatment. These particles were dispersed into a photosensitive resin and subsequently cured under simultaneous magnetic field induction and UV irradiation. A 0.3 wt% chitosan aqueous solution was adopted as a lubricant for tribological tests.
Results:
The synthesized nano-Fe3O4 particles exhibited a uniform average diameter of 30 ± 5 nm. Under a magnetic field of 0.71 T and UV irradiation at 400 W/m2, the magnetically responsive photosensitive resin slurry containing 30 wt% nano-Fe3O4 formed ordered, chain-like micro-nano arrays aligned along the magnetic field direction. In contrast, slurries with 10 wt% and 20 wt% nano- Fe3O4 yielded only random particle dispersion. Tribological tests demonstrated that lubricant accumulation within the regular surface textures effectively reduced the average friction coefficient.
Discussion:
This methodology enables the precise fabrication of ordered micro- and nanostructured surface textures, thereby enhancing interfacial lubrication and offering a viable strategy to extend the service life of artificial joints.
Conclusion:
Magnetically assisted photopolymerization utilizing nano-Fe3O4 particles represents an effective approach for fabricating functional surface textures. The resulting micro-nano textures effectively reduce the friction coefficient and enrich lubricating biomacromolecules, thereby improving the tribological performance and service durability of artificial joints.