Spherulitic Growth of Poly (Ether Ether Ketone) Crystallized at High Pressure

High-pressure crystallized poly (ether ether ketone) (PEEK) samples were prepared with a piston-cylinder apparatus by varying temperature, pressure, crystallization time, and molecular weight, and were investigated using wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The applied etching experiments showed that the chemical resistance of the polymer was significantly improved through the high-pressure treatment. The results also revealed that PEEK spherulites with folded-chain lamellae as substructures and with different characteristics were formed at high pressure. Crystalline elliptical micro-spheres consisting of flake-like lamellae with rugged surfaces were observed on the etched samples with SEM, which may diversify niche applications in functional fillers, carriers, adsorbents, etc. Morphological observations suggested that such micro-spheres might possibly have evolved from a novel dendritic crystal. Furthermore, a granular substructure of the lamellae was observed in these single-phase polymer systems with rigid molecular backbones, which further confirmed the model developed by Strobl for polymer crystallization.