Preparation and Properties of the Poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK)/Nano-Zinc Oxide (ZnO)–Short Carbon Fiber (SCF) Artificial Joint Composites

Abstract

Poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) has excellent biological and mechanical properties and good fatigue resistance. It is expected to replace metal as an artificial joint prosthesis material. But its poor wear resistance and antibacterial properties limit its application. In this paper, ZnO was synthesized on the surface of acidified short carbon fiber (SCF) by in situ synthesis combined with the hydrothermal method. The nano-ZnO-modified SCF powder was used as a reinforcement filler. It was melt-blended with PEEK and then injection-molded to improve the wear resistance and antibacterial property of PEEK. The results show that the microstructure of the PEEK/ZnO-SCF composite is relatively compact, and the addition of ZnO contributes to the combination of SCF and PEEK. The addition of SCF can improve the mechanical properties of composites. When the SCF content is 15%, the mechanical properties of the composite are the best. The PEEK/ZnO-SCF composite shows good antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus and has good biocompatibility. In addition, the friction coefficient of the PEEK/ZnO-SCF composites is lower than that of the pure PEEK, and the friction properties are improved. The PEEK/7.5%wtZnO-15%wtSCF composite has the lowest wear loss and the best wear performance. In conclusion, the PEEK/ZnO-SCF composites have good wear resistance and antibacterial properties. The relevant data provide a reference for the PEEK to enter clinical experiments and have important significance for promoting the application of the PEEK in artificial joints.

Methods to improve antibacterial properties of PEEK: A review

“…The 15 wt. % addition of short carbon fiber increased the zone of inhibition from 11.95 mm to 28.9 mm for E. coli and 11.43-22.2 mm for S. aureus [150].…”

“…PEEK composite coatings with carbon fiber (25 wt.%) and GO (0.02 wt.%) improved the wear resistance of Ti-6Al-4V alloy [94]. The composites of PEEK/ nano-ZnO (7.5 wt.%) and short carbon fiber (15 wt%) showed better wear performance and lower friction coefficient compared to the pristine PEEK [150].…”

“…PEEK powder or blends of PEEK and reinforcements in powder form are dispersed in the medium [92]. The second step includes heating above the melting temperature (PEEK melting temperature: ∼343 • C) for injection molding, compression molding, selectively laser sintering, cold pressing sintering, and twin-screw extrusion [51,54,144,149,150] to obtain composite materials or electrophoretic deposition for composite coatings [83]. The figures that represent injection molding [151], swin screw extruder [151] and selectively laser sintering [152] are adapted with permission.…”

Effect of alumina content on the thermal, mechanical and tribological properties of resin‐based friction materials

“…Consequently, resin‐based friction materials suffer from considerable thermal degradation, a significant drop in the COF, and severe high‐temperature abrasion during braking 13,14 . In response to the thermal degradation of resin‐based friction materials, researchers have made numerous attempts and proposed a number of improvement solutions, primarily including the following three: heat resistance modification of the resin, 15,16 blending a variety of reinforcement fibers, 17–20 and the addition of friction‐enhancing components 21–24 . The addition of friction‐enhancing components improves the stability of the COF, reduces abrasion, may be designed, and is easy to operate in contrast to the previous two methods.…”

“…13,14 In response to the thermal degradation of resin-based friction materials, researchers have made numerous attempts and proposed a number of improvement solutions, primarily including the following three: heat resistance modification of the resin, 15,16 blending a variety of reinforcement fibers, [17][18][19][20] and the addition of friction-enhancing components. [21][22][23][24] The addition of friction-enhancing components improves the stability of the COF, reduces abrasion, may be designed, and is easy to operate in contrast to the previous two methods. Since the friction-enhancing components directly affect the properties of the friction surface, it is usually necessary to strictly control the content of the frictionenhancing components in order to create sufficient shear force when sliding friction occurs with the counterpart surface and to reduce brake disc scratching.…”