Enhancing the thermal and mechanical properties of sulfonated peek fiber composites with reduced smoke density and toxicity

• Published in: Journal of applied polymer science Vol. 141; no. 35
• Main Authors: Gurung, Dinesh, Murad, Md Shafinur, Asmatulu, Eylem, Gürsoy, Mustafa, Bahçeci, Ersin, Bakir, Mete, Asmatulu, Ramazan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, USA John Wiley & Sons, Inc 15.09.2024; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Aramid fiber reinforced plastics; Automotive glass; Contact angle; Contact pressure; Density; Dimethylformamide; Fiber composites; flame retardancy; Glass fiber reinforced plastics; High temperature; Industrial applications; Kevlar (trademark); Mechanical properties; mechanical strengths; Polyether ether ketones; Resins; Smoke; smoke density and toxicity; sulfonated PEEK; Sulfuric acid; Tensile strength; Thermodynamic properties; thermoplastic fiber composites; Toxicity; Toxicity testing; Water baths
• ISSN: 0021-8995; 1097-4628
• DOI: 10.1002/app.55886

Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) sulfonation process is a reasonably easy but time‐consuming to manufacture composites. This study focuses on altering PEEK powder in a sulfuric acid solution via a sulfonation process to develop sulfonated PEEK (SPEEK) resin for the fiber‐reinforced thermoplastic composite manufacturing and characterization steps. In this study, about 5 wt% PEEK powder was sulfonated in 98% sulfuric acid solution for 12 h at 65°C. The water bath technique was used for the precipitation process to obtain the SPEEK polymer. After proper washing and drying, the SPEEK matrix (resin) was obtained by dissolving it in dimethylformamide in a ratio of 1:2. This resin solution was then used to manufacture thermoplastic Kevlar and glass fiber‐reinforced composites employing wet layup process and cured at an elevated temperature under pressure. These SPEEK composites passed the flame retardancy UL94 test with a V0 rating. The average water contact angle of the glass fiber‐ and Kevlar‐SPEEK composites is 93.67° and 102.24°, respectively. The average tensile strength values of these composites were found 222.22 and 284.35 MPa, correspondingly. The smoke density and toxicity tests of the glass fiber‐SPEEK composite confirmed lower smoke generation with the modifications. These SPEEK‐fiber composites can be considered for various industrial applications, including aviation, energy, drone, defense, and automotive. Sulfonated peek fiber composites Manufacturing technique with improved flame retardancy.