Enhanced interfacial and mechanical properties of carbon fiber/PEEK composites by hydroxylated PEEK and carbon nanotubes

The interfacial adhesion between carbon fiber (CF) and polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is poor due to their inert nature, limiting the mechanical properties of CF/PEEK composites. This study improved the interactions between CF and PEEK by sizing hydroxylated PEEK grafted multi-walled carbon nanotubes (HPEEK-g-MWCNT) synthesized via an esterification reaction. Molecular dynamics simulations and experiments were conducted to evaluate the...