Tribological characterization of surface modified UHMWPE against DLC-coated Co-Cr-Mo

The evaluations are categorized into two groups: (1) unmodified and DLC-coated UHMWPE with and without prior carbon implantation sliding against uncoated Co-Cr-Mo, (2) DLC-coated UHMWPE with and without prior carbon implantation sliding against DLC-coated Co-Cr-Mo. The study reveals that by coating the UHMWPE with DLC coating protects the UHMWPE surface. However, the DLC coating causes severe Co-Cr-Mo wear. Coating both the sliding surfaces with DLC coating reduces the wear rates of the sliding surfaces to a greater extent. The DLC-coated UHMWPE with prior carbon implantation did not show any superior behaviour over that without prior carbon implantation.