Frictional Properties of Polyvinyl Alcohol Hydrogel Mixed with Water as an Artificial Articular Cartilage

We have investigated the use of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogels for hemiarthroplasty. The PVA-hydrogels were prepared in two different solvents using a low-temperature crystallization method. The first was a conventional mixture of water and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and the second comprised water only. The hardness and wear resistance of the PVAhydrogel mixed in water (PVA-H/Water) were compared with that of PVA-hydrogel mixed in a DMSO aqueous solution (PVA-H/DMSO). The results indicated no significant difference in the indentation hardness between PVA-H/DMSO and PVA-H/Water. However, the frictional coefficients of PVA-H/DMSO were larger than those of PVA-H/Water. Fewer wear tracks were observed in PVA-H/Water than in PVA-H/DMSO.