Inferior Mechanical Properties Research Articles

Ethanediamine induced self-assembly of long-range ordered GO/MXene composite aerogel and its piezoresistive sensing performances

Three-dimensional (3D) graphene oxide/MXene (GO/MX) composite aerogels with characters of lightweight, porous structure, and superior elasticity have attracted great attention in electromagnetic shielding, oil–water separation, and chemical catalysis, especially smart electronic sensors. However, due to the lack of adequate interaction force between GO and MX nanosheets, it is challenging to construct a high strengthand long-range ordered GO/MX aerogel, resultingin inferior mechanical properties and poor conductivity. Here, a facile gelation strategy is developed to form long-range ordered GO/MX aerogel by ethylenediamine (EDA) induced self-assembly of MX and GO liquid crystals (LCs). In this system, EDA plays dual roles of inducing ordered self-assembly of GO LCs nanosheets and strengtheninginteraction between GO and MX nanosheets. As a result, the obtained GO/MX aerogel with long-range ordered microstructure presents an outstanding mechanical elasticity of 9.5 kPa and a high conductivity of 0.99 S m−1. Especially, the assembled GO/MX-based sensor has an extremely low detection limit of ~ 0.2% strain, prominent physiological signal capture capability, and excellent durability over 10,000 compression/release cycles. This work paves the way for the potential applications of GO/MX composite aerogel in real-time human motion monitor, artificial skins, and flexible smart devices.

Micro-Injection Molding of Polymer Nanocomposites Composition-Process-Properties Relationship

Abstract The mechanical, electrical, thermal, and rheological properties of micro injection molded nanocomposites comprising 2% and 5% carbon nanotubes (CNTs) incorporated in polycarbonate (PC), and polyamide 66 (PA) were studied. The design of experiments method was used to investigate the composition-process – properties relationship. Results indicated that the process variables significantly affected the flow patterns and resulting morphology during the filling stage of the microinjection molding (lIM) process, using 0.45 mm diameter lIM samples. Two distinct flow regimes have been identified in lIM using the low cross-section samples. The first was a conventional “fountain flow,” which resulted in a skin/core structure and reduced volume resistivity up to 10 X cm in the case of 5% CNTs and up to 100 X cm in 2% CNTs, in both polymers, respectively. In addition, inferior mechanical properties were obtained, attributed to polymer degradation under high shear rate conditions, when practicing high injection speeds, high mold temperatures, and high screw rotation velocities. The second was a “plug flow” due to wall slippage, obtained under low injection speeds, low mold temperatures, and low rotation velocities, leading to a substantial increase in modulus of elasticity (60%) with increased electrical resistivity up to 103 X cm for 5% CNTs and 105 X cm for 2% CNTs, respectively. The rheological percolation threshold was obtained at 2% CNTs while the electrical threshold was attained at 0.4% CNTs, in both polymers. It was concluded that in lIM, the process conditions should be closely monitored. In the case of high viscous heating, degradation of mechanical properties was obtained, while skin- core morphology formation enhanced electrical conductivity.

Effect of Mercerization/Alkali Surface Treatment of Natural Fibres and Their Utilization in Polymer Composites: Mechanical and Morphological Studies

Environmental pollution, such as air, water, and soil pollution, has become the most serious issue. Soil pollution is a major concern as it generally affects the lands and makes them non-fertile. The main cause of soil pollution is agro-waste. It may be possible to mitigate the agro-waste pollution by re-utilizing this agro-waste, namely natural fibres (NFs), by blending into polymer-based material to reinforce the polymer composite. However, there are pros and cons to this approach. Consequently, the polymer composite materials fabricated using NFs are inferior to those polymer composites that are reinforced by, e.g., carbon or glass fibres from the mechanical properties’ perspectives. The limitations of utilizing natural fibres in polymer matrix are their high moisture absorption, resulting in high swelling rate and degradation, inferior resistance to fire and chemical, and inferior mechanical properties. In particular, the NF polymer composites exhibit inferior interfacial adhesion between the fibre and the matrix, which, if improved, ultimately overcome all the listed limitations and improve the mechanical properties of the developed composites. To improve the interfacial adhesion leading to the enhancement of the mechanical properties, optimum chemical treatment such as Alkalization/Mercerization of the fibres have been explored. This article discusses the Mercerization/Alkali surface treatment method for NFs and its effects on the fibres regarding the Mercerization/Alkali surface treatment method for NFs and its effect on the fibres regarding their utilization in the polymer composites, the morphological features, and mechanical properties of composites.

Effect of rolling force on tensile properties of additively manufactured Inconel 718 at ambient and elevated temperatures

Inferior mechanical properties and severe anisotropy behavior of wire + arc additive manufactured (WAAM) Inconel 718 due to the large epitaxial grown columnar dendrites restrict the industrial application of WAAM deposition. Cold rolling was integrated into the WAAM deposition process and the effect of rolling force on microstructure, precipitatation distribution and tensile properties at ambient and elevated temperatures were investigated. The results show that the hardness of cold-rolled samples is much larger than that of the as-deposited and it increases with the increase in the rolling force. The columnar dendrites of the as-deposited sample changed to finer equiaxed grains of 26.5 and 14.7 µm after cold rolling with the force of 50 kN and 75 kN, respectively. Meanwhile, more uniformly distributed grains and less δ phase appear for 75 kN rolled sample. The stress-strain curves are smooth for the tensile tests at ambient temperature, while there are serrations at elevated temperature due to the dynamic strain aging behavior. The as-deposited sample shows inferior tensile properties to the wrought material at ambient and elevated temperatures. The cold-rolled samples both exceed the wrought material at ambient temperature; however, they show higher strength but lower elongation compared to the wrought material. The 75 kN cold rolled sample shows much higher strength and similar elongation to the wrought material for the test at elevated temperature. The grain morphology and recrystallization, as well as the strengthening mechanism of hybrid deposition and cold rolling process were discussed.

Slippery Antifouling Polysiloxane-Polyurea Surfaces with Matrix Self-Healing and Lubricant Self-Replenishing.

The inferior mechanical properties and the difficulty in repairing damaged substrates and lubricant films of slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces significantly hampered their practical applications. To solve this problem, we fabricated a polysiloxane-polyurea slippery elastomer with lubricant self-replenishing and matrix self-healing properties by encapsulating silicone oil into the thermoplastic elastomers. By optimizing the chemical compositions and molecular interactions, the obtained slippery elastomer exhibits unique mechanical properties with a maximum breaking strength of 0.12 MPa, elongation of 1600%, and self-healing efficiency of 98%. Moreover, the lubricant stored in the capsule of the slippery elastomer can be controlled released under mechanical stimulation, further realizing surfaces' self-lubricating and liquid manipulation switching between slippery and pinning states. Furthermore, the textile-reinforced slippery elastomer with superior mechanical strength also exhibited liquid repellency, anti-biofouling, and drag reduction properties. Therefore, this textile-reinforced omniphobic surface with high mechanical property, matrix self-healing, and lubricant self-replenishing property shows a broad application prospect in surface protection, underwater antifouling, and drag reduction.

Assessment of Hardness, Flexural Modulus, and Bond Strength of Acrylic Denture bases Fabricated by 3D Digital Methods

Abstract: Objectives: The inferior mechanical properties and the clinical failure of the denture bases could be related to their processing technique and the type of resin used during fabrication. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate and compare the effect of the processing technique on the hardness, flexural modulus, and bond strength of the different denture base resins. Materials and Methods: Three processing techniques were used in the present study to fabricate the tested samples; compression-molded fabrication method “control group”, and two different three-dimensional (3D) fabrication methods (CAD/CAM milled “subtractive”, and 3D printed “additive”). The samples used in this study fabricated with different dimensions according to the type of test (hardness, flexural modulus, and shear bond strength). Results: The results of hardness and flexural modulus revealed that; the CAD/CAM milled samples showed statistically significant higher hardness and flexural modulus values followed by the conventional compression molded and 3D printed respectively. While the results of shear bond strength showed no statistically significant difference among the three different processing methods. Conclusion: the processing technology has a significant effect on the hardness and flexural modulus of the material. While there is no effect to the fabrication technique on the teeth bond strength.

PARTICLEBOARDS WITH PARTIALLY LIQUEFIED BARK OF DIFFERENT PARTICLE SIZES

This paper presents a novel method of partially liquefying bark sawmilling waste for use in making particleboards. Maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.) bark of different particle sizes (fine, medium, coarse, and mixed) was partially liquefied in the presence of ethylene glycol as a solvent and sulphuric acid as a catalyst at 180°C for 30 minutes. Single-layer particleboards were prepared by mixing partially liquefied bark (PLB) and wood chips at a ratio of 0.25 with no adhesives (group A) and at ratios of 0.25 or 0.1 with melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUF) adhesives for additional bonding (groups B and C respectively). Mechanical and physical properties of the particleboards were tested according to European standards. The results showed that the boards in group A had lower densities, inferior mechanical properties and higher moisture content than those in groups B and C. Bark particle size had a significant effect on the mechanical properties of particleboards within each group. Additional MUF bonding and avoidance of coarse bark particles had a positive effect on mechanical properties. The thickness swelling (TS) and water absorption (WA) values of MUF-bonded boards were lower than those of boards without MUF, and greater addition of PLB produced particleboards with better water resistance. Bark particle size was not as critical for TS and WA as for mechanical properties. The overall results suggested using a bark particle size of < 2 mm for further studies.

Novel magnetic silk fibroin scaffolds with delayed degradation for potential long-distance vascular repair

Although with the good biological properties, silk fibroin (SF) is immensely restrained in long-distance vascular defect repair due to its relatively fast degradation and inferior mechanical properties. It is necessary to construct a multifunctional composite scaffold based on SF. In this study, a novel magnetic SF scaffold (MSFCs) was prepared by an improved infiltration method. Compared with SF scaffold (SFC), MSFCs were found to have better crystallinity, magnetocaloric properties, and mechanical strength, which was ascribed to the rational introduction of iron-based magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). Moreover, in vivo and in vitro experiments demonstrated that the degradation of MSFCs was significantly extended. The mechanism of delayed degradation was correlated with the dual effect that was the newly formed hydrogen bonds between SFC and MNPs and the complexing to tyrosine (Try) to inhibit hydrolase by internal iron atoms. Besides, the β-crystallization of protein in MSFCs was increased with the rise of iron concentration, proving the beneficial effect after MNPS doped. Furthermore, although macrophages could phagocytose the released MNPs, it did not affect their function, and even a reasonable level might cause some cytokines to be upregulated. Finally, in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that MSFCs showed excellent biocompatibility and the growth promotion effect on CD34-labeled vascular endothelial cells (VECs). In conclusion, we confirm that the doping of MNPs can significantly reduce the degradation of SFC and thus provide an innovative perspective of multifunctional biocomposites for tissue engineering.

Ultralight GO-Hybridized CNTs Aerogels with Enhanced Electronic and Mechanical Properties for Piezoresistive Sensors.

Extremely low density carbon nanotubes/graphene hybrid aerogels (CNG) are highly potential active materials for fabricating flexible devices, owing to synergistic effects with one (nanotubes) and two (graphene) dimensional characters in a single structure. However, conquering the long-standing dilemma among low electronic conductivity and inferior mechanical properties for CNG remains a challenging task. Here, an ultralight CNG aerogel (1.52 mg cm-3) with prominent electronic conductivity and mechanical resilience is facilely fabricated through a triple roles design of the sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), namely anchoring metal ions, dispersing carbon nanotubes, and inducing self-assembly. It is demonstrated that the Ba2+ can be effectively anchored into the GO interlayers by coupling it with the SDS to reinforce the intersheet interactions, thereby achieving remarkable improvement in mechanical properties (Young's moduli up to 18.3 kPa). Density functional theory calculations reveal that the anchored Ba2+ acting as molecular bridges can availably reduce the tunneling barrier between the GO sheets and facilitate the multidirectional and fast transport of electronics, inducing the high electrical conductivity of CNG (12.55 S cm-1). Taking advantage of these features, potential applications in flexible sensing devices have been demonstrated utilizing the remarkable CNG as an active material, giving extraordinary sensing performance including high sensitivity (48.6 kPa-1), ultralow detection limit (10 Pa), and ultrafast response (18 ms).

Solid-state joining of aluminum to titanium: A review

The dissimilar material joining of aluminum and titanium alloys is recognized as a challenge due to the significant differences in the physical, chemical, and metallurgical properties of these alloys, where the increasing demands for high strength and lightweight alloys in aerospace, defense, and automotive industries. Joining these two alloys using the conventional fusion techniques produces commercially unacceptable sound joints due to irregular, complex weld pool shapes, cracking and low strength, high residual stresses, cracks, and microporosity, and the brittle intermetallic compounds formation leads to poor formability or inferior mechanical properties. The formation of intermetallic compounds is inevitable but it is less severe in solid-state than in the fusion welding process. Hence, this article reviews on aluminum–titanium joining using different solid-state and hybrid joining processes with emphasis on the effect of process parameters of the different processes on the weld microstructure, mechanical properties along with the type of intermetallic compounds and defects formed at the weld interface. Among the various solid-state welding processes for aluminum–titanium joining, the following grades of aluminum and titanium alloys were employed such as cp Ti, Ti6Al4V, cp Al, AA1xxx, AA 2xxx, AA5xxx, AA6xxx, AA7xxx, out of which Ti6Al4V and AA6xxx alloys are the most common combination.

Development of plant-concrete composites containing pretreated corn stalk bio-aggregates and different type of binders

Traditional binders (ordinary Portland cement; OPC and lime) due to their high alkaline nature show poor bio-compatibility and degradation of hydration products when mixed with the lignocellulosic materials. As a result, produced plant-concrete composites (PCC) exhibit inferior mechanical and durability properties. In this regard, this paper adopts the approach of pretreatment of corn stalk particles (alkalization and hydrophobic pretreatment) and use of alternative binders (geopolymer; GP and magnesium phosphate cements; MPC) to address these performance related issues. Results showed significant improvement in microstructure of PCCs and interface bonding between the binders and corn stalk aggregates due to hydrophobic pretreatment. Among the PCCs containing different type of binders, MPC based PCCs exhibited superior performance in term of strength, and hygroscopic properties as compared to OPC and GP based PCCs. Reduction in porosity and drying shrinkage was also prominent for the PCC prepared with GP and MPC binders and hydrophobic pretreated corn stalk aggregates. However, thermal conductivity of PCCs was increased for PCCs containing pretreated corn stalk aggregates.

High-Molecular-Weight Electroactive Polymer Additives for Simultaneous Enhancement of Photovoltaic Efficiency and Mechanical Robustness in High-Performance Polymer Solar Cells.

The development of small-molecule acceptors (SMAs) has significantly enhanced the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of polymer solar cells (PSCs); however, the inferior mechanical properties of SMA-based PSCs often limit their long-term stability and application in wearable power generators. Herein, we demonstrate a simple and effective strategy for enhancing the mechanical robustness and PCE of PSCs by incorporating a high-molecular-weight (MW) polymer acceptor (PA, P(NDI2OD-T2)). The addition of 10–20 wt % PA leads to a more than 4-fold increase in the mechanical ductility of the SMA-based PSCs in terms of the crack onset strain (COS). At the same time, the incorporation of PA into the active layer improves the charge transport and recombination properties, increasing the PCE of the PSC from 14.6 to 15.4%. The added PAs act as tie molecules, providing mechanical and electrical bridges between adjacent domains of SMAs. Thus, for the first time, we produce highly efficient and mechanically robust PSCs with a 15% PCE and 10% COS at the same time, thereby demonstrating their great potential as stretchable or wearable power generators. To understand the origin of the dual enhancements realized by PA, we investigate the influence of the PA content on electrical, structural, and morphological properties of the PSCs.

From ultrastiff to soft materials: Exploiting dynamic metal–ligand cross-links to access polymer hydrogels combining customized mechanical performance and tailorable functions by controlling hydrogel mechanics

Recently hydrogels have attracted much attention due to their great potential for a wide range of applications, which require specific set of mechanical properties and customized functions for specific applications. However, traditional hydrogels with inferior mechanical properties lack the scope for wider tuneability. So it becomes a great challenge to prepare a hydrogel system which can cater to wider mechanical and functional needs. This work reports for the first time a facile one step fabrication of Poly(methacrylamide-co-vinylimidazole)-M2+ (M = Ni and Zn) fully physically cross-linked hydrogels with fixed total monomer feed concentration and co-monomer ratio, wherein by controlling the kinetics of metal–ligand interactions, the as-prepared hydrogel shows ultra wide spectrum of mechanical properties (Compressive strength ~103 to 247 MPa at 96% strain and compressive stiffness of ~0.434 to 8.944 MPa; elastic modulus ~0.73 to 38.8 MPa; tensile strength ~0.55 to 6.77 MPa; toughness ~1 to 35.88 MJ m−3; strain at break ~332 to 1132%). Furthermore, the presence of pH-responsive metal–ligand cross-links along with hydrophobic methyl group in the backbone allows for pH-dependent tuning of mechanical properties at alkaline pH (Elastic modulus ~155 MPa, tensile strength ~7.2 MPa and compressive stiffness ~36 MPa); The hydrogels demonstrate fast self-recovery, excellent fatigue resistance and efficient self-healing, along with temperature dependent shape memory behaviour. Applications of these hydrogels are demonstrated in highly sensitive flexible resistive (Gauge factor of 11 and 22 at 100 and 200% strain respectively) and capacitive sensors for motion and pressure sensing and as an electrolyte for the fabrication of a compressible supercapacitor (which could withstand ~3000 fold weight of the whole supercapacitor).

Effects of a Twin-Screw Extruder Equipped with a Molten Resin Reservoir on the Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of Recycled Waste Plastic Polyethylene Pellet Moldings.

Each year, increasing amounts of plastic waste are generated, causing environmental pollution and resource loss. Recycling is a solution, but recycled plastics often have inferior mechanical properties to virgin plastics. However, studies have shown that holding polymers in the melt state before extrusion can restore the mechanical properties; thus, we propose a twin-screw extruder with a molten resin reservoir (MSR), a cavity between the screw zone and twin-screw extruder discharge, which retains molten polymer after mixing in the twin-screw zone, thus influencing the polymer properties. Re-extruded recycled polyethylene (RPE) pellets were produced, and the tensile properties and microstructure of virgin polyethylene (PE), unextruded RPE, and re-extruded RPE moldings prepared with and without the MSR were evaluated. Crucially, the elongation at break of the MSR-extruded RPE molding was seven times higher than that of the original RPE molding, and the Young’s modulus of the MSR-extruded RPE molding was comparable to that of the virgin PE molding. Both the MSR-extruded RPE and virgin PE moldings contained similar striped lamellae. Thus, MSR re-extrusion improved the mechanical performance of recycled polymers by optimizing the microstructure. The use of MSRs will facilitate the reuse of waste plastics as value-added materials having a wide range of industrial applications.

Effect of maleic anhydride grafted polylactic acid concentration on mechanical and thermal properties of thermoplasticized starch filled polylactic acid blends

Polylactic acid (PLA) is blended with native starch or thermo plasticized starch (TPS) for preparing biodegradable composites. However, poor compatibility of PLA with starch results in the composites with inferior mechanical properties. This study examines the effect of Maleic Anhydride-Grafted-PLA (GMAPLA) coupling agent and its concentration on the extent of improvements in mechanical and thermal properties of PLA –TPS blends. Maleic anhydride was grafted on PLA in Haake torque rheometer, characterized and used as the coupling agent. PLA/TPS (wt/wt) blends (70/30 and 50/50) were prepared by twin screw extrusion. GMAPLA at three different levels 5%, 10% and 15% (wt%) with respect to PLA content was taken to study its effect on mechanical properties of blends. Presence of GMAPLA significantly improved the mechanical properties (tensile, flexural and impact strength) of TPS/PLA blends. Among the three concentrations, 10% GMAPLA in the blend was found to give the maximum improvement in strength properties. Dynamic mechanical analysis and thermo-gravimetric analysis indicated no significant effect of GMAPLA content on transition temperatures and thermal degradation behavior of the blends.

Ultra-low dielectric constant fluorinated graphene/polybenzoxazole composite films with excellent thermal stabilities and mechanical properties

Unsatisfied dielectric properties and inferior mechanical properties have become the main obstacles limiting the application of polybenzoxazole (PBO) in the field of microelectronics. Herein, a novel nanocomposite film was successfully developed by introducing fluorinated graphene (FG) into fluorinated PBO (FPBO). Interestingly, the FG/FPBO composite films showed an ultra-low dielectric constant of 2.02 at 1 MHz. Meanwhile, the tensile strength of the composite films increased up to 103.5 MPa, which was 25% higher than that of the pristine FPBO. Moreover, the 5% weight loss temperature of FG/FPBO composites were as high as 525 °C, displayed an outstanding heat resistance. The water absorption of FG/FPBO films have also dropped from 1% to 0.5% due to the high hydrophobicity of FG. In short, our work provides a simple and efficient approach for the preparation of high-performance films with low dielectric constant and water absorption, as well as high mechanical strength and thermal stability.

Improving Compactness of 3D Metallic Microstructures Printed by Laser-Induced Forward Transfer

Laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) has been shown to be a useful technique for the manufacturing of micron-scale metal structures. LIFT is a high-resolution, non-contact digital printing method that can support the fabrication of complex shapes and multi-material structures in a single step under ambient conditions. However, LIFT printed metal structures often suffer from inferior mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties when compared to their bulk metal counterparts, and often are prone to enhanced chemical corrosion. This is due mostly to their non-compact structures, which have voids and inter-droplet delamination. In this paper, a theoretical framework together with experimental results of achievable compactness limits is presented for a variety of metals. It is demonstrated that compactness limits depend on material properties and jetting conditions. It is also shown how a specific choice of materials can yield compact structures, for example, when special alloys are chosen along with a suitable donor construct. The example of printed amorphous ZrPd is detailed. This study contributes to a better understanding of the limits of implementing LIFT for the fabrication of metal structures, and how to possibly overcome some of these limitations.

On the evaluation of mechanical properties and ballistic performance of two variants of boron carbide

A comparative study on the microstructure, rate-dependent compressive behavior, and ballistic performance of commercially available pressureless sintered boron carbide-titanium diboride (material Z) and hot-pressed boron carbide (material S) was conducted. Under quasi-static compression at rates of 1.4 to 1.6 x 10-4 s-1, the strength was found to be 3.07 ± 0.11 GPa for material Z and 4.72 ± 0.14 GPa for material S. At dynamic strain rates ranging from 185 to 1152 s-1, the compressive strength ranged from 3.56 to 4.07 GPa for material Z and 5.24 to 5.97 GPa for material S. Depth of penetration testing was performed using 7.62 mm AP M2 projectiles. The normalized ballistic efficiency of the two materials were found to be comparable at 932 m/s, while material S was superior to material Z at an impact velocity of 1078 m/s. Based on post-mortem SEM analysis of ballistic tile fragments, the inferior mechanical properties and ballistic performance of material Z are attributed to an uneven distribution of silicon impurities and a significant level of porosity.

Spheroidization of 100Cr6 Bearing Steel by Warm Forging

Warm forging of a (1%C–1.5%Cr) bearing steel at 760 and 800 °C could enable the achievement of a fully spheroidized microstructure comparable to that of the steel spheroidized by long-duration annealing treatment. The deformation-induced spheroidization gave higher hardness, strength, and toughness than the annealed steel. The deformation-induced grain structure and the finer dispersion of the residual carbides at the warm forging temperature promoted divorced eutectoid transformation when the steel was cooled below A1 temperature. A still higher temperature warm forging at 820 °C gave a partially spheroidized microstructure, with a significant fraction of pearlite colonies, resulting in inferior mechanical properties. The lower equilibrium carbide at higher warm forging temperature gave large islands of austenite devoid of carbides, which on cooling below A1 transformed to pearlite. The microstructure evolution and mechanical properties were examined at various stages of processing.

Performance enhancement of gel polymer electrolytes using sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) for supercapacitors

AbstractGel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) with reasonable mechanical properties are highly favorable for flexible/stretchable solid‐state supercapacitors. However, the widely explored poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)‐based GPEs provide unsatisfactory mechanical performance. Herein, a useful strategy is adopted to improve the performance of PAA‐based GPEs by incorporating sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) chains. The optimum SPEEK‐enhanced PAA GPE shows an ionic conductivity of 100 ± 1.57 mS cm−1, ultimate tensile strength of 4.2 ± 0.24 kPa and elongation at break of 858%, which are larger than those of the plain PAA GPE. A supercapacitor developed using such a SPEEK‐enhanced GPE also delivers higher specific capacitance, larger energy density and comparable cycling stability compared to a supercapacitor using a PAA GPE. This work suggests that rigid ionic polymers are suitable for improving the performance of GPEs with inferior mechanical properties. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry