Abstract
In this work, the effect of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation and the combination of EUV radiation and low-temperature nitrogen plasma on the physico-chemical properties of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) surfaces were presented. The laser-plasma EUV source based on a double gas puff target was used in this experiment to irradiate PEEK surfaces with nanosecond pulses of EUV radiation and to produce low-temperature plasma through the photoionization of nitrogen with EUV photons. The changes in surface morphology on irradiated polymer samples were examined using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Chemical changes of the PEEK surfaces were analysed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). EUV radiation and nitrogen plasma treatment caused significant changes in the topography of modified PEEK’s surfaces and an increase in their average roughness. Strong chemical decomposition, appearance of new functional groups as well as incorporation of nitrogen atoms up to ~17 at.% on the PEEK’s surface were observed.
Highlights
Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is a high-temperature, thermoplastic synthetic polymer that belongs to the polyaryletherketones (PAEK) family
The target was formed as a result of a pulsed injection of a xenon jet into a hollow stream of helium (Xe/He target) with the use of an electromagnetic valve system equipped with a double nozzle set-up
Sensitivity, ablation threshold value, thermal conductivity, glass transition temperature, etc. In this was employed to examine the morphology of the PEEK surface before and after extreme ultraviolet (EUV) irradiation
Summary
Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is a high-temperature, thermoplastic synthetic polymer that belongs to the polyaryletherketones (PAEK) family. PEEK has good thermal stability, good chemical resistance [1], and is non-toxic as well as biocompatible; it has excellent mechanical properties, including strength, stiffness, toughness [2] and is transparent to X-rays. PEEK— to many other organic polymers [5,6,7,8,9,10]—shows low bioactivity, is hydrophobic, and lacks surface-active functional groups that promote protein adsorption, cell adhesion, and proliferation. This is why PEEK, when implanted, shows limited integration with osseous tissues.
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