Graphene Oxide Encapsulated Natural Plant Essential Oil as Ti6Al4V-UHMWPE Joint Prostheses Biolubricant: Tribological Behavior and Machine Learning-Assisted Mechanism Analysis.

It is important to enhance the overall efficacy of artificial joint systems by addressing friction and oxidation issues at the joint prosthesis interface. In this study, CEO@GO was developed as a novel biolubricant by encapsulating natural clove essential oil (CEO) with graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets to solve the friction and oxidation issues of Ti6Al4V-UHMWPE artificial joint prostheses. The dispersion stability, biocompatibility, antioxidant activity, and tribological properties of CEO@GO biolubricant were investigated. The lubrication mechanism of CEO@GO was simultaneously analyzed by combining wear surface characterization techniques with machine learning-assisted molecular simulations. The experimental results showed that the CEO@GO biolubricant exhibited good antioxidant activity. In particular, the CEO@GO biolubricant reduced the coefficient of friction and wear of the UHMWPE surface by 70% and 43%, respectively, compared with simulated synovial fluid. Molecular simulation analysis indicated that the weak shear force between the stable GO and CEO films formed on the Ti6Al4V and UHMWPE surfaces resulted in excellent friction-reduction and anti-wear properties. This study provides new research ideas for the development of multifunctional, long-lasting biolubricants for artificial joints.