Biomaterials and Tribology

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, there has been an increase in the population associated with a growing life expectancy, which is the result of technological progress and the development of medicine and disease diagnostic equipment, as well as an increase in the routine practice of sport. Associated with these events, there has been an increase in degenerative age-related diseases, such as osteoarthritis, which leads to cartilage degeneration, overweight, and sports injuries, as well as traffic accidents. All of this ultimately leads to the need for arthroplasty procedures to replace damaged bones and joints with prostheses. Hip, knee, and shoulder arthroplasties are being increasingly used as definitive solutions in cases where the affected joints can no longer be treated with alternative non-invasive methods. In this scenario, the quality of the prosthetic joint components is a critical factor for the longevity and well-being of patients undergoing arthroplasty procedures. One of the quality requirements for this type of medical product is directly related to the wear resistance of the components, as it directly affects the durability of the implant within the body. In this context, the development of adequate biomaterials, fulfilling biocompatible, inert, and non-cytotoxic requirements, is of prime importance. In parallel to this, reproductible and repeatable test protocols, in harmonization with international acceptance criteria, are another critical issue when dealing with biomaterials and tribology, given that the friction and wear are test-procedural-dependent characteristics. This is of special importance for those tribological biomaterials incorporating nanostructured materials. Questions of how to develop, how to test, and how to rely on the material, as well as how to rely on the test results, are still to be answered on the topic of biomaterials and tribology, the two main constituent parts of biotribology research. Updates on the use of advanced biomaterials employing nanoscaled materials and their in vitro and/or in vivo tribological response are also interesting insights in this Special Issue.

Dr. Marcia Marie Maru
Prof. Dr. Amilcar Ramalho
Dr. Rafael Mello Trommer
Guest Editors

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• biomaterials
• tribology
• biotribology
• joint implants
• biocompatibility