Tribological Analysis on Hybrid PEEK-Based Polymer Composites for Prosthetic Implant Applications

Abstract

Abstract. Assessing the tribological nature of biomaterials is a prominent task before using them as an implant material. The current investigation deals with the high-performance polyether ether ketone (PEEK) polymer with the hybrid reinforcements of graphene oxide (GO) and hydroxyapatite (HA) with various concentrations of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 wt% and 10, 20, 30 wt%, respectively. The wear study was performed using a linear reciprocating tribometer under dry conditions. The testing parameters significantly varied (load: 50 N, 90 N, 150 N and stroke length: 10, 13, 20 mm) to measure the material's dynamic tribological attributes. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy characterized the samples' chemical bonds and functional groups, and X-ray diffraction was used to identify the crystallographic nature. Microstructure and wear scar were assessed by optical and field emission scanning electron microscopy, respectively, and the elemental composition was evaluated by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The results demonstrated that a lower coefficient of friction (0.16901) was obtained on minimum GO and HA-concentrated samples at lower load (50 N) and minimal stroke length (10 mm). Similarly, a lower wear-rate (1.691 × 10−6 mm3/N m) was obtained on minimum GO and HA-concentrated samples at lower load (50 N) and maximum stroke length (20 mm). Comparatively, the reinforcement plays a vital role in the structure of the tribological behavior of the hybrid PEEK composites. Electrostatic interaction between GO and HA and π–π stacking interaction between GO and PEEK make it an effective scaffold material for various orthopedic applications.