| The addition of vitamin E to polyethylene has shown promise in total hip arthroplasty. Which of the following is the main purpose of adding vitamin E to polyethylene? |
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- Stabilize free radicals and prevent oxidative degradation By stabilizing free radicals, vitamin E has been shown to prevent oxidative degradation and increase mechanical strength.
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- Eliminate the need for irradiation Vitamin E does not eliminate the need for irradiation of polyethylene because it does not contribute to cross-linking.
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- Provide increased structural stability between polyethylene chains Vitamin E acts to decrease free radicals. It does not provide increased structural stability between polyethylene chains.
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- Lower the annealing temperature to facilitate ease of production Vitamin E has no effect on the annealing temperature, but one could argue that by helping stabilize free radicals it enables one to chose annealing as a processing method instead of remelting as a way to preserve mechanical properties. The purpose of adding vitamin E to polyethylene, however, is to stabilize free radicals.