Preparation and Characterization of High-Strength and High-Modulus Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube/Hydroxyapatite/Carbon Fiber/Polyetheretherketone Composites

Abstract

The materials currently used for bone prostheses are mainly metals such as titanium alloy. Compared with human cortical bone, traditional metals exhibit high elastic moduli, which may lead to stress shielding. In contrast, the mechanical strength and elastic modulus of polyetheretherketone are slightly lower than those of human bone. In this study, we utilize multi-component co-modification in order to improve the mechanical properties of polyetheretherketone materials. Firstly, we blended three types of materials: multi-walled carbon nanotubes, nanohydroxyapatite, and carbon fibers. Then, the blended materials were used to reinforce polyetheretherketone, and the preparation of the multi-walled carbon nanotubes/nanohydroxyapatite/carbon fibers was described in detail. After the contact angle was determined, SEM, thermogravimetric analysis, and various tests were conducted on the ternary composites. Ball milling co-mingling technology was used to prepare tetrad composite specimens for tensile and compression experiments, a finite element model of the tetrad composite tensile and compression specimens was established, and the structural stresses of the specimens were analyzed under the specified loads. The experimental results show that the surface roughness of carbon fiber increased, and the multi-walled carbon nanotube/nanohydroxyapatite/carbon fiber/polyetheretherketone quaternary composites were well optimized in terms of strength and elastic modulus, which broadens the application field of polyetheretherketone materials.

Calcium Orthophosphate (CaPO4) Containing Composites for Biomedical Applications: Formulations, Properties, and Applications

“…The maximum compressive strength of any material, however, was only 102 MPa, which is considerably less than the usual values for high-density HA but comparable to cortical bone [1091]. Hybrid biocomposites with more intricate formulations, including poly-L-lysine/HA/carbon nanotube [1111] and multi-walled carbon nanotube/HA/carbon fiber/PEEK [1112], have also been created. Carbon nanotubes, on the other hand, are an extremely stable substance that cannot be biodegraded or reabsorbed.…”