Scratch Resistance and Adhesion Properties of PEEK Coating Filled with h-BN Nanoparticles

Effects of h-BN particles on mechanical properties and adhesion of semi-crystalline poly(ether-ether-ketone) (PEEK) coatings were studied. PEEK powder was mixed with various contents of h-BN nanoparticle in ethanol under ultrasonic mixing. As-mixed powders were sprayed onto low carbon steel substrate with thermal spray technique. The hardness, scratch hardness, specific scratch wear rate, prevailing deformation mechanisms and adhesion were obtained from scratch tests by varying the applied load. The damage geometry on scratched polymer surfaces and scratch wear volume loss were examined using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and surface profilometer, respectively. The results indicated that the addition of h-BN content improved the hardness of the composite. In addition, the specific scratch wear rate and the adhesion between PEEK coatings and substrate decreased with increasing h-BN content. The poor adhesion resulted from the reductions of flow-ability and viscosity between PEEK and substrate caused by heat dissipation from the h-BN particles.