Influence of sterilization by gamma irradiation and of thermal annealing on creep of hydroxyapatite-reinforced polyethylene composites.

Sterilization of medical devices by gamma (gamma)-irradiation is common. The effect of irradiation on a bone replacement material, HAPEX (hydroxyapatite-reinforced polyethylene composite), was investigated. Unfilled and hydroxyapatite-filled polyethylene at 0.20 and 0.40 filler volume fractions were gamma-irradiated at 2.5 Mrad, and the modified properties were studied by differential scanning calorimetery, isochronous experiments, and creep tests. The effect of thermal annealing of the samples from 140 degrees C also was examined. The results suggest that both irradiation and annealing increase creep resistance of the materials. These are associated with the formation of crosslinks and an increase in crystallinity, respectively.