Investigation of the Properties of PEEK-Nanotube Composites Prepared by Solution Methods

Poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) is an aromatic, very high temperature semi-crystalline polymer which exhibits a technologically useful combination of mechanical and chemical properties. In this study carbon nanofibers (CNFs) were used to prepare nanocomposites from PEEK using a polymer crystallization technique at intermediate temperatures. The solution processing technique was used to uniformly disperse the CNFs in the polymer solution and to prepare the nanocomposite samples with different loading of CNFs. Microstructural characterization shows dispersion at very low loading of CNFs, but agglomerates were formed at higher loading. Thermal analysis was used as a means to understand the effect of CNFs on the physical properties of the PEEK nanocomposites.