Tribological behaviour of polymeric coatings: II. SCF-reinforced PEEK nanocomposite systems

This paper focuses on coatings based on poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) applied to metal substrates and their tribological investigation. Short carbon fibres (SCF), graphite, and 300 nm titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and zinc sulphide (ZnS) particles were used as filler materials for the PEEK. These filler materials and their combinations were found to have a significant influence on the tribological behaviour of the corresponding PEEK compounds. One of the compounds (PEEK6) was found, especially at higher temperatures and under higher normal loads, to be a good coating material showing superior tribological behaviour. For PEEK6, a specific wear rate and a coefficient of friction (COF) lower than those for the best commercially available PEEK compound (PEEK4) were measured. For specific test parameters, PEEK6 showed a COF of less than 0.1. The tribological results were also compared with those of a conventional sliding bearing material based on poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF).