Well‐dispersed poly(ether‐ether‐ketone)/multi‐walled carbon nanotubes nanocomposite for harsh environment applications

Abstract Reinforcing poly(ether‐ether‐ketone) (PEEK) with multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) is of great interest for harsh environment applications, such as seals for oil and gas recovery because of its expected superior thermal and mechanical properties and environmental stability. In this research, a PEEK nanocomposite containing 10 wt% of well‐dispersed MWCNT was successfully prepared using a solution mixing approach. Compared to a commercial PEEK/PBI (polybenzimidazole) blend benchmark, PEEK/MWCNT exhibits significantly increased Young's modulus, much lower water absorption, and better modulus retention under hot‐wet conditions. Based on a physics‐based Ngai's Coupling model and calculation of activation energy on stress relaxation, PEEK/MWCNT system shows stronger intermolecular interaction and higher energy barrier for chain mobility than PEEK/PBI system under hot‐wet environment. These enhanced properties of PEEK/MWCNT nanocomposite are suitable for many high performance, harsh environment applications.