It is known that PVP is a good lubricant with outstanding
biocompatibility. However, whether PVP provides a lubricating
role in artificial joints is still unclear. In this paper we investigated
the viscosity, surface tension, and static contact angle of different
PVP solutions with five concentrations and two solvents. Both the
friction coefficient and wear volume of the friction pair were
measured in the friction/wear tests where the physiological conditions
were simulated by Ti6Al4V balls, UHMWPE disc, and body
temperature. It was found that the friction coefficient decreased
significantly with PVP concentration increasing, but subsequently
tapered off after a high concentration (i.e., 10 wt% for the PVP
bovine serum solution and 15 wt% for the PVP deionized water
solution). The wear resistance of the UHMWPE disc was also
improved significantly by the inclusion of PVP. According to the
good lubricating property and biocompatibility of the PVP in the
artificial joint pairs, it seems that PVP could be considered as a
potential lubricating additive for the artificial joints in the future.