The mechanical and frictional properties of poly(ether ether ketone) composites with modified aluminum borate whiskers

Abstract

Poly(ether ether ketone)s (PEEKs) are increasingly used in tribological application. Reinforcing materials such as aluminum borate whiskers are often incorporated into polymeric materials to improve mechanical properties. In this work, aluminum borate whiskers were modified by the boron-containing poly(ether ether ketone)s (B-PEEKs). The modified aluminum borate whiskers (g-W)-reinforced PEEK composites were then prepared via melt-blending method. B-PEEKs showed the good coupling effect by the interface micromorphology analysis and performance evaluation of PEEK composites. After grafting treatment with B-PEEKs, aluminum borate whiskers were found to be dispersed evenly in PEEKs matrix without apparent aggregation. Ascribed to the strong interaction between whisker-grafted chains and PEEKs matrix, g-W/PEEK composites show better mechanical properties, lower friction coefficient, and wear ratio than those composites without grafting modification, indicating that the grafted aluminum borate whiskers (g-W)-reinforced PEEK composites may become a wear-resistant material.