Rheology,morphology, and mechanical characteristics of poly(etherether ketone)-liquid crystal polymer blends

This paper is in continuation of our previous paper on Poly(etherether ketone)-liquid crystal polymer (PEEK-LCP) composites. Rheological, morphological, and mechanical properties of polyetherether ketone and a thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer based on hydroxybenzoic acid/hydroxynaphthoic acid have been reported. Addition of LCP resulted in a marked reduction of viscosity and improved processability. Tensile properties improved with increase in LCP concentration. Synergistic effects have been observed at certain LCP concentrations. The elongation at break was found to reduce drastically above 10% of LCP content. This is a characteristic typical of chopped-fiber-filled composites. Morphology of injection molded and capillary extruded samples of the blends showed that the in-situ formed fibrous LCP phase was preserved in a solidified form. The improvement in tensile properties is likely due to the reinforcement of the PEEK matrix by the fibrous LCP phase as observed by scanning electron microscopy. A distinct skin-core morphology was found to develop in the injection molded samples of these blends. Mechanical properties measured in the flow and transverse direction indicated an increase in the degree of anisotropy with an increase in LCP content.