Quantifying the lubricity of mechanically tough polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels for cartilage repair.

Polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels are biocompatible and can be used as synthetic articular cartilage. Their mechanical characteristics can be tailored by various techniques such as annealing or blending with other hydrophilic polymers. In this study, we quantified the coefficient of friction of various candidate polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels against cobalt-chrome alloy or swine cartilage using a new rheometer-based method.