Tribological Properties Of Poly-ether-ether-ketone Biomaterial Materials

Polyether ether ether ketone(PEEK)has excellent mechanical properties,wear resistance and chemical corrosion resistance,which show potential in a wide range of applications and has become one of the hotspots of material research.It is worthy of noting that the elastic modulus of PEEK is close to that of cortical bone and radiation can pass through it.The above advantages make it promising in the field of artificial joints.However,traditional processing methods cannot produce personalized artificial joint materials because of the different shapes of individual bones.As a form of 3D printing,the advantage of fused deposition modeling(FDM)makes it especially suitable for the personalized manufacturing of artificial joint materials.In the current study,the effects of FDM processing parameters on the mechanical properties of PEEK were investigated,which guided the optimization of FDM processing parameters.The optimal processing parameters for PEEK were as follows:nozzle temperature of 430?,printing speed of 30mm/s,heating platform temperature of 120?,printing layer thickness of 0.2mm.It is revealed that the mechanical properties of PEEK are closely related to the interfacial bonding of printed filaments.The optimized processing conditions are beneficial to improve the interfacial bonding between neighboring filaments and reduce the generation of bubbles and other defects in the material leading to improved mechanical properties of 3D printed PEEK.Aiming at providing theoretical guidance for the application of PEEK materials in the field of artificial joints,PEEK materials were prepared via FDM technology with optimized processing parameters,and their friction and wear behaviors were investigated against different ceramic balls under unidirectional sliding,reciprocating sliding as well as calf serum lubrication.And the friction and wear mechanisms were analyzed accordingly.It is revealed that the wear resistance of PEEK is greatly affected by the surface characteristics of ceramic counterbody balls.Under the condition of unidirectional dry sliding,the wear resistance of PEEK is poor when it slid against relatively rough Al₂O₃ ceramic balls,which is mainly characterized with furrows and scratches in the wear scar.When Zr O2 and Al2O3-Zr O2 with smooth surface were used as mating materials,the wear resistance of PEEK was increased,and the main wear mechanisms became adhesive wear and plastic deformation.Under calf serum lubrication,the surface morphology of the ceramic counterbodyt also had an important influence on the friction and wear behavior of PEEK.The difference is that under calf serum lubrication,the deformation effect of ceramic mating material surface became important.The friction and wear behaviors of PEEK materials were also related to the different surface structures of the substrate and surface materials.The grooves between the printed filaments on the surface of PEEK can help to reduce the contact area between peek and ceramic balls,but they were affected by the surface roughness of PEEK and the lubricant in the friction interface.In addition,the coupling between the surface morphology and sliding mode of PEEK also affected its wear resistance.Therefore,the tribological behavior of fused deposition modeled PEEK material is affected by the surface characteristics of both mating materials,sliding mode and interface lubrication,which must be considered in the design of PEEK artificial joints.