Effect of annealing on the properties of poly(ether ether ketone)

The effect of annealing on the properties of poly(ether ether ketone) has been studied by changing annealing temperature and time. Crystallinity increases with annealing temperature, but is little affected by annealing time. Annealing time results suggest an improved crystalline perfection as annealing time increases. Higher crystallinity levels cause an increase in stress-related properties and a decrease in strain-related properties. Crystalline perfection, however, seems to produce an increase in stress-related properties, but it does not affect strain-related properties. Consideration has also been given to the effect of other possible parameters different from crystalline structure, such as crosslinking, on the variation of properties.