Effect of carbon nanotubes on the biotribological behavior of hot-pressed PEEK-based composites for biomedical applications

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the influence of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) content (0.1, 0.5, 1, and, 5 wt.%) on the poly-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK) composites based on a veneering concept and produced by the hot-pressing technique. Biotribological tests were performed in a ball-on-plate geometry using an alumina ball as the counter body under a phosphate-buffered saline solution at 37 ºC, assessing the coefficient of friction and specific wear rate. Hardness measurement, white-light interferometry, and scanning electron microscopy were employed to support the study. The results revealed that the carbon nanotubes exhibited a positive influence on the biotribological behavior resulting in 1 wt.% CNT proved to be the optimized value. Such findings could engineer high-performance surfaces as load-bearing materials in biomedical applications.