Antioxidant Effects of Vitamin C on Biomedical UHMWPE Compounds

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the antioxidant activity of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) at concentrations of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0% wt on Biomedical Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (B‐UHMWPE), using a stable free radical 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picryl‐hydrazyl (DPPH). The compounds are prepared by compression molding at 160 °C for 6 min, and pressure of 10 MPa. Infrared spectroscopy indicated a weak interaction between the compound constituents, at 3600, 1800, and 1500 cm −1 bands attributed to Vitamin C. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed that the addition of 2.0% wt. of Vitamin C promoted B‐UHMWPE crystalline particle size decreases and molecular disorder. In the presence of the vitamin, Raman spectroscopy suggested a decrease in the degree of polymer crystallinity which may be attributable to modifications in morphological aspects of the polymer. Vitamin C acted as an antioxidant agent, an important result; an increasing amount of radical is scavenged with the addition of the vitamin to the compounds. Thus, Vitamin C presents potential as an antioxidant for B‐UHMWPE compounds.