This study investigates the comparative behaviour of cartilage, bone, UHMWPE and a Poly trimethylene carbonate PTMC composite with hydroxyapatite and carbon nanotubes (PHN), under identical nano-indentation loading-unloading. The loading was a controlled linear increasing force followed by a static force period followed by a final linear decrease to zero. The corresponding load-penetration depth curves exhibited curved increasing and decreasing behaviour as the load was increased and decreased. During the static load period, the materials exhibited creep to different extents. The penetration depth during unloading did not follow that during loading thereby exhibiting hysteresis. The average stiffness, hardness and reduced modulus were highest for cartilage and lowest for UHMWPE. Correspondingly, the depth of penetration was lowest for cartilage and highest for UHMWPE. However, the standard deviation of the values was found to be much higher for the natural materials cartilage and bone as compared to UHMWPE and PHN, indicating a complex hierarchical structure of the tissues. The behaviour of PHN was closer to that of the natural tissues as compared to the behavior of UHMWPE.
Keywords: Nano indentation, biomaterials, biomechanics, composite
How to cite this article: Ribeiro R, Nano Indentation Comparison Of Cartilage, Bone And A Poly Trimethylene Carbonate Composite. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(4s): 563-572; DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.4s.66
Source of support: Nil
Conflict of interest: None