Tribology of Poly(etherketone) composites based on nano-particles of solid lubricants

The present article deals with the tribology of very important family of high performance polymers known as Poly(etherketone) (PEK) comprising of mainly two members viz. PEEK (Poly(ether etherketone) and PAEK (Poly(aryletherketone) since other members are not yet researched for tribology. Interestingly PEEK is extensively explored and PAEK is under-explored. The article deals with the tribology of composites of these two polymers containing nano-particles (NPs) of solid lubricants leading to significant enhancement in the tribo-potential. The article discusses the systematic efforts to develop high potential tribo-materials based on PAEK and right kind of reinforcement (30% short glass fibers-SGF) and combination of two solid lubricants (SLs). The first one, called primary SL was graphite (10%), which was essential part of all composites. The only difference in the series of composites was of type of secondary SL (10%) and its size (combination of micro and nano-particles). The tribo-investigations brought out various features such as synergism between the two SLs, edge of NPs over MPs (micro-particles) and very high tribo-potential, not reported in the literature. The unique efforts to convert the scientific knowledge into the product (bearing) and to identify the extent of loss in performance during the journey from material to product are also reported. [Display omitted] •First review of Polyether ketone composites with nano - particles of solid lubricants.•PAEK and PEEK special matrices for high performance tribo-materials and products.•A journey of composites to finished products with pros and cons.