Influence of the addition of lubricant on the properties of poly(ether ether ketone) fibers

A high‐temperature lubricant genioplast pellets (GPPS) was used in order to improve the processing behavior of poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) resin and high‐performance PEEK fibers were produced by melt‐spinning. The rheological properties of spinning material, morphology, mechanical, and thermal properties of PEEK fibers were characterized by using a polymer capillary rheometer, scanning electron microscopy, single fiber electronic tensile strength tester, wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction and thermal gravimetric analyzer, respectively. The results indicated that the introduction of lubricant GPPS decreased the melting viscosity of PEEK resin and improved spinnability of PEEK resin without sacrificing its thermal properties. The filaments are cylindrical with smooth surface and uniform diameter. The optimized content of GPPS was determined to be 1.0 wt% by balancing the decreased torque and changes of the mechanical properties. The strength and modulus of PEEK fibers were 420 MPa and 3.6 GPa, respectively. This should be due to the improvement in spinnability, followed by the enhancements in the orientation and crystallization of PEEK fibers in the process of drawing and annealing. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 53:2254–2260, 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers