Session: 03-02-03: Applied Innovations in Solid-State Processes and Surface Engineering: Technologies for Advanced and Sustainable Manufacturing III

Paper Number: 166133

Polyetherether Ketone (Peekk) Hybrid Composite Coatings Reinforced With Ceria and Ptfe for Tribological Applications 

Coating technology is a very effective surface engineering technique to enhance the tribological properties such as increasing the wear resistance and reducing the friction coefficient of metallic surfaces which in general show high wear and friction. Coatings also help protecting these metallic surfaces from corrosion. Among various available coatings, polymer coating have caught the attention of researchers worldwide because of their inherent low friction, good wear and corrosion resistance. Among the polymer coatings, for polyether ether ketone (PEEK) coatings are gaining a lot of attention due to their unique properties, such as toughness, inertness and biocompatibility. These coatings are highly resistant to heat and chemical exposure, making them suitable for use in environments with high temperatures and exposure to water, humidity, steam, and various chemicals. PEEK coatings offer exceptional properties that make them suitable for use in various industries. In the biomedical field, PEEK coatings are particularly useful for manufacturing bone implants because of its close resemblance to the bone in terms of mechanical properties. However, its bioinert nature limits its osseointegration, which is the process of bone integrating with an implant. To overcome this limitation, researchers have been working on improving the bioactivity of PEEK by using different routes, such as surface modification and the fabrication of composites which are bioactive. These advancements aim to enhance the biomechanical performance of PEEK implants and improve patients' quality of life. In industrial applications. Furthermore, the exceptional properties of PEEK coatings make them suitable for use at elevated temperatures and where resistance to chemicals are required, such as in the oil production, chemical production, and aerospace industries. However, PEEK also suffers from a few limitations such as high wear rates and higher coefficient of friction as compared to other polymers such as ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). Hence in this study the route of developing a hybrid PEEK composite coating has been taken, wherein PEEK is reinforced with ceria for improving the mechanical properties such as wear resistance and poly tetra fluoro ethylene (PTFE) for reducing the coefficient of friction. In the current study hybrid PEEK composite coatings reinforced with 1.5 wt% of ceria (optimized from an earlier study) and different loadings (0.5, 1.5 and 3 wt%) of PTFE were developed and their mechanical and tribological properties were evaluated. The coatings were deposited on mild steel samples using an electrostatic spray technique. Wear tests were conducted at different loads and at speeds using a ball on disc configuration. It was found that the PEEK coating reinforced with 1.5 wt% of CeO2 and 1.5wt% PTFE, exhibited excellent mechanical, thermal and tribological performance. The good performance of this coating was attributed to the uniform dispersion of the reinforcements and their inherent mechanical and thermal characteristics.

Presenting Author: Abdul Samad Mohammed King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals

Presenting Author Biography: Dr. Mohammed Abdul Samad is a Professor and the Director of Tribology Lab in the ME Department at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, KSA. He earned his Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering from the National University of Singapore, Singapore. His main research interests include Micro\Nano tribology, thin films, coatings and surface engineering, polymer nano-composites, polymer nanocomposite coatings, and optimization techniques such as Taguchi methodology. He has over 100 journal papers in reputed journals on wide-ranging subjects and he presented his work at renowned conferences. He has been a principal investigator and a co-investigator in numerous funded projects and he is a recipient of the “Excellence in Research Award” in 2019 at KFUPM.

Authors:

Amal Ameen Seenath King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals
Mirza Baig King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals
Abdul Samad Mohammed King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals