Mussel-inspired construction of Ti6Al4V-hydrogel artificial cartilage material with high strength and low friction

Based on the adhesion mechanism of polydopamine, the mussel-inspired hydrogel was prepared on the surface of the Ti6Al4V (Ti) with polydopamine (PDA), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), hydroxyapatite (HA) and polyacrylic acid (PAA) as raw materials in this study, and the Ti-hydrogel artificial cartilage material was constructed. The hydrogel exhibited a tensile strength of 11.76 MPa, an elongation of 988.76%, and a creep deformation of only 0.035 mm under a 20 N load. The friction coefficient of the Ti6Al4V-hydrogel (Ti-hydrogel) artificial cartilage material decreased and the friction performance was improved. After the substrate was modified by the PDA, the bonding strength of the substrate to the hydrogel up to 6.64 MPa. Therefore, the mussel-inspired hydrogel is an ideal high-strength biomimetic cartilage material. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.