Characterisation of the surface topography, tomography and chemistry of fretting corrosion product found on retrieved polished femoral stems

This study presents the characterisation of the surface topography, tomography and chemistry of fretting corrosion product found on retrieved polished femoral stems. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FI-IR) were utilised in order to assess the surface morphology of retrieved Metal-on-Metal Total Hip Replacements and surface chemistry of the films found on the surface. Gross slip, plastic deformation and directionality of the surface were extensively seen on the proximal surfaces of the retrievals. A more corrosive phenomenon was observed in the distal regions of the stem, demonstrating a seemingly intergranular attack. Tribochemical reactions were seen to occur within the stem-cement interfaces with tribofilms being observed on the femoral stem and counterpart PMMA bone cement. XPS, TEM-EDX and FT-IR analyses demonstrated that the films present in the stem surfaces were a complex mixture of chromium oxide and amorphous organic material. A comparison between current experimental and clinical literature has been conducted and findings from this study demonstrate that the formation and chemistry of films are drastically influenced by the type of wear or degradation mechanism. Films formed in the stem-cement interface are thought to further influence the biological environment outside the stem-cement interface due to the formation of Cr and O rich films within the interface whilst Co is free to migrate away.