Search

The ability of atomistic and coarse-grained models to discern between two polymers of very similar architecture is examined. To this end, polyether ether ketone (PEEK) and polyether ketone ketone (PEKK) are chosen. The difference in glass transition temperature and the similarity in compressive responses of the two polymers are captured by all-atom models. A coarse-graining scheme, with 6 beads per monomer and 3 types of beads, leads to a good approximation of the structure and packing of chains of PEEK and PEKK. The CG model reproduces differences in weakly rate-dependent properties such as $${T}_{\mathrm{g}}$$ T g . Comparison between strongly rate-dependent uniaxial stress–strain responses of these two polymers requires a knowledge of the scaling between physical strain rate in one to the effective rate in the other. The scaling can be approximately determined by comparing the variation of yield strength with strain rate, obtained from small-sized simulations. Graphic abstract

As the most widely used additive manufacturing technology, Fused Filament Fabrication 3D printing technology has attracted more and more attention and research on its mechanical properties. In this paper, Polylactic Acid (PLA), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and Poly Ether-Ether Ketone (PEEK) materials are selected as the research objects to study the material correlation of the compression performance of the printed parts in different build orientations. Under the premise of ensuring that the other process parameters are basically the same, the comparison test results show that, the compressive strength of PLA and PEEK in build orientation Z1 is larger than that in build orientation Z2. On the contrary, the compressive strength of ABS in build orientation Z2 is larger, which reflects the material correlation of mechanical properties. The cone beam Computed Tomography nondestructive testing and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope are used to scan the test pieces before and after the experiment. According to the analysis of the testing images, the interlaminar pores caused in the printing process are the main reasons for the different performance responses and structural damage of the test pieces under the compression load.

Vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFB) are among the most promising approaches to efficiently store renewable energies. In such battery type, Nafion is commonly used as membrane material but suffers from high vanadium crossover and cost. These drawbacks negatively influence the widespread commercial application of VRFBs. Alternative membrane materials with high performance and low cost are thus being developed to address these shortfalls. Among those, possible materials for the VRFB membrane is sulfonated polyether ether ketone (SPEEK), which recently attracted considerable attention due to its low cost, combined with mechanical and chemical stability, and ease of preparation. This review summarizes the research activities related to the development of SPEEK-based membranes for VRFB applications and gives an overview of the properties of PEEK and its sulfonated form. A critical analysis on the challenges of SPEEK-based membranes is also discussed.

A lightweight composite with outstanding damping effects and impact resistance is significant for the design of functional structures in advanced equipment, such as aircraft and space vehicles. In this paper, the mechanical properties of solution-blended graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs)/polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) nanocomposites were characterized by both experimental and numerical methods. It can be found that the layer number and packing configuration of graphene layers are critical to the efficiency of energy dissipation in the composite, while a pack of six- layer graphene and the perpendicular arrangement to the shockwave direction provide the most outstanding energy dissipation ability. The reflection of shockwave caused by graphene reinforcements in the nanocomposite was found to be the dominating reason for the enhanced energy dissipation effect. Physical mechanisms of energy dissipation are investigated by a molecular modeling method to provide insights into the cross-scale design of graphene-reinforced nanocomposites as structural materials.

Objective: This study aims to analyze structural strength features (such as deformation and stress distributions) of polyether ether ketone (PEEK), glass fiber and zirconia post-core systems utilized in maxillary central incisor roots by means of finite element analysis (FEA). Material and Method: The main geometry of maxillary central incisor considered in this study was obtained using an intraoral scanner. Other sub-components were modelled in a parametric computer aided design software based on the data obtained from the literature. Glass fiber, PEEK and zirconia were defined as post materials. 100 N force was applied with 45° angle on the palatal surface of veneered tooth in the FEA set up. The FEA was solved with linear material model and static linear loading assumptions through a commercial FEA code. Visuals and numerical results related to equivalent stress (Von Mises) and deformation distributions were interpreted. Results: Maximum equivalent stress value of 32.76 MPa was calculated at the PEEK post-core. The maximum values for glass fiber and zirconia posts were 0.80 MPa and 21.17 MPa, respectively. Maximum equivalent stress values at the tooth roots in the glass fiber, zirconia and PEEK posts were 72.79 MPa, 69.01 MPa and 58.22 MPa respectively. Conclusion: The stress magnitude experienced at the PEEK post-cores on the root was lower than glass fiber post and zirconia post. Regarding to this, although, it may be concluded that PEEK may reduce the complications that require tooth extraction in clinical practice, further researches are suggested including clinical trials.

Cold spraying is receiving increasing attention as a method for metallizing polymer surfaces. Although metallic coatings on polymer surfaces have been successfully prepared in several studies, these are currently only in the experimental stages. In this study, the impact behaviour of copper particles deposited on polyether ether ketone (PEEK) substrates by cold spraying was investigated, and the deposition mechanism of the coatings was elucidated based on numerical simulations. Computational fluid dynamics simulations were used to determine the impact velocity of the particles, initial temperature of the particles, and surface temperature of the substrates. An Eulerian–Lagrange three-dimensional finite element model was developed to simulate the impact behaviour of single and multiple copper particles on the PEEK substrate. The numerical simulation results showed good agreement with the experimental data reported in the literature. This indicates that the thermal softening and melting of the material provide good conditions for mechanical interlocking of the particles with the substrate. Based on the results, the effects of particle velocity, particle temperature, and substrate temperature on the cold spray deposition behaviour of copper particles on PEEK substrates are discussed.

The aim of this study was to investigate the shear bond strength of composite resin to PEEK under hypobaric and hyperbaric pressure changes in different PEEK surface treatments. Ninety-six PEEK spe...

Jedan od najvećih problema današnjice jest problem plastike u okolišu. Plastika se razgrađuje, ali kroz jako dugi vremenski period, iako i tad zaostaju sitne čestice koje kao takve također predstavljaju opasnosti. Plastika u okolišu nalazi se svuda i štetno djeluje na žive organizme. Polieter eter keton (PEEK) je dominantan član obitelji polukristalnih termoplasta poznatih kao poliarileterketoni (PAEK). Izgledom je neprozirna krutina i danas se smatra jednom od značajnijih inženjerskih plastika zbog odlične toplinske stabilnosti, velike otpornosti na oštećenja te dobre specifične krutosti i biokompatibilnosti. U ovom radu predstavljena su osnovna obilježja i svojstva PEEK-a, postupci proizvodnje te upotreba u svakodnevnom životu. Nadalje, predstavljen je postupak uzorkovanja mikro i nanoplastike kao i moguće metode analize. One of the biggest problems today is the problem of plastic in the environment. Plastic decomposes over a very long period of time and even small pieces are left behind and represent danger. Plastic in the environment is found everywhere and has a harmful effect on living organisms. Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) is the dominant member of the family of semi-crystalline thermoplastics known as polyaryl ether ketones (PAEK). PEEK is an opaque solid in appearance and today it is considered as one of the most important engineering plastics due to its excellent thermal stability, high resistance to damage and high specific stiffness and biocompatibility. This bachelor thesis presents the basic features and properities of PEEK, production procedures and using in everyday life. Furthermore, it represents the sampling procedure of micro and nanoplastics as well as possible methods of analysis.

Cranioplasty materials include metals (ie, titanium); ceramics (ie, hydroxyapatite); polymers (ie, poly-methyl-metha-acrylate [PMMA]); and plastics (ie, polyether ether ketone). This paper aims to review their advantages and drawbacks. No ideal material currently exist, however, titanium implants are universally agreed to have lower infection rates than those reported for hydroxyapatite and PMMA implants; thus justifying their current wide use. These implants can be manufactured conventionally from medical grade titanium alloy Ti64 (titanium-aluminum-vanadium) in the form of plates ranging in thickness from 0.5 to 0.7 mm thick, or following the computer-aided design/manufacture principle. Surface finish of these implants is best achieved by electroplating.

The present research work investigates the effect of modified halloysite nanotubes (mHNTs) on the mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of polyether ether ketone (PEEK) and polyetherimide (PEI). The developed PEEK/PEI blend matrix with 1 wt% of mHNTs shows a significant enhancement in mechanical properties like tensile, flexural, hardness, and impact. The developed blend matrix of PEEK/PEI matrix with mHNTs shows a significant enhancement of 25% in storage modulus (E′) and 13°C in glass transition temperature (Tg). In addition, an appreciable improvement of 26°C observed in maximum degradation temperature (Tmax). The effectiveness of the dispersion of mHNTs in the PEEK/PEI blend matrix was investigated by using SEM and TEM micrographs. The micrographs revealed that the mHNTs are uniformly dispersed in the PEEK/PEI matrix. The possible interaction of HNTs with PEEK/PEI and mHNTs with PEEK/PEI matrix were analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR).

Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) has been widely used in the medical engineering due to its high strength to weight ratio, creep and wear-resistance, and anti-allergically properties. Grinding is generally used to produce PEEK parts with high accuracy and surface quality requirements. In this research, the tool loading and the effect of cryogenic cooling in the grinding of PEEK are studied for the first time. It is shown that the generated heat in the grinding process, which is mainly influenced by the tool micro-topography, process parameter, and coolant lubricant has an important role in the surface integrity of PEEK. Additionally, the influence of specific material removal rate and the dressing speed ratio on the specific grinding energy of PEEK was studied. The input parameters of the grinding process that are investigated in this study include cutting speed (vs), depth of cut (ae), and feed rate (vft). To investigate the grinding wheel topography, the effects of dressing overlap ratio (Ud) and the dressing speed ratio (qd) were also investigated. Grinding force, surface roughness, and loading of the grinding wheel were considered as output parameters. The experiments were designed based on response surface methodology and the optimum cutting condition was obtained based on this method. The depth of cut and the dressing overlap ratio had respectively the maximum and minimum impact on the surface roughness and cutting forces. Additionally, the tool loading was mainly influenced by the cutting speed.

In this article, the tribological behaviors of Si3N4-hBN composites and polyether ether ketone (PEEK) materials with precorrosion were investigated in seawater and deionized water, respectively. Si...

A composite membrane comprising sulfonated polyether ether ketone (sPEEK) and polystyrene sulfonic acid functionalized micelle templated MCM-41 (PSSA-f-MCM-41) is realized as a potential alternative to the Nafion membrane for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC). PSSA-f-MCM-41 incorporation in sPEEK leads to improvement in the physio-chemical properties such as ionic conductivity, methanol permeability, tensile strength, water uptake and ion exchange capacity. The methanol permeability of the composite membrane i.e. PSSA-f-MCM-41 (1.5 wt %)-sPEEK is reduced by 60% in comparison to pristine sPEEK. Moreover, the electrochemical selectivity of the aforesaid composite membrane is four times higher than sPEEK. The DMFC performance shows the peak power density of 147 mW cm−2 for the composite membrane which is higher than the pristine sPEEK and Nafion 117 membranes. Stability test for the composite membranes confirm less degradation in OCV in comparison to pristine sPEEK.

Objectives To investigate the efficacy of polyether‐ether‐ketone (PEEK) wire as a fixed orthodontic retainer, by comparing its performance to other retainer wires and optimizing its adhesion to composite bonding materials. Materials and methods Retainer wires of 15 mm segments were used, PEEK wires were prepared in cylindrical form with 0.8 mm diameter, and had two surface treatments namely air‐abrasion and conditioning with adhesive system. Three different metallic retainer wires were used for comparison and three tests were performed; two tests measured debonding force and associated wire deflection from acrylic blocks and bovine teeth and one test for pull‐out force. To test debonding force, a vertically directed compressive force was applied to the retainer wires bonded to the acrylic blocks and bovine teeth, while for pull‐out test; a vertically directed tensile force detached the retainer wire. Results In both debonding tests, PEEK wires (regardless the surface treatment) had non‐significant difference when compared to each other, or to the other metallic wires, except the dead‐soft coaxial wire group. The dead‐soft coaxial wire group had significant difference when compared to other groups regarding both the force magnitude and maximum deflection, the only exception was the debonding force of the flat braided retainer wires bonded to bovine teeth. In pull‐out test PEEK wires conditioned with adhesive system and the air‐abraded recorded the second and third highest readings respectively. Conclusions Within the limitations of this study, the 0.8 mm round PEEK wires have comparable performance—in terms of debonding and pull out forces—to conventional retainers when bonded with 4 mm composite bonding spots; using air‐abrasion for 10 s at 3.5 MPa provided sufficient adhesion of the composite to the wire, and conditioning with adhesive system may provide no further clinical benefit.

A new nanocomposite based on a blend of polyether ether ketone (PEEK) and polyetherimide (PEI) with halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) has been fabricated. The evaluation of the mechanical properties of d...

Carbon fiber-reinforced Polyether Ether Ketone is widely used in aerospace and medical industries due to its unique mechanical and physical properties. The use of CFR-PEEK in the industry is growing by replacing materials such as aluminum (in aerospace and mechanical industry), titanium, and stainless steel (in the medical industry). In this research, the grinding process of this material is studied through single grit scratch test, which is a common method to study the fundamentals of chip formation in the grinding process. In this method, one single grit as a representative of whole grinding wheel grits engages with the workpiece under the conditions identical to grinding. Investigating the corresponding phenomena during the abrasive-material engagement gives a better understanding of the grinding process. The experimental results showed that by increasing the cutting speed, vc, the specific energy, ec, increases. It is worth to mention that the minimum specific energy in maximum depth is converged to ec = 1.2 J/mm3. The portion of plowing and rubbing are reduced by a rise in the depth of cut. In low cutting depths, tangential force to normal force ratio is low and by an increment in depth, this ratio increases as well.

Instrumentation during metastatic spine tumor surgery (MSTS) provides stability to the spinal column in patients with pathologic fracture or iatrogenic instability produced while undergoing extensive decompression. Titanium is the current implant material of choice in MSTS. However, it hinders radiotherapy planning and generates artifacts, with magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scans used for postoperative evaluation of tumor recurrence and/or complications. The high modulus of elasticity of titanium (110 GPa) results in stress shielding, which may lead to construct failure at the bone-implant interface. Polyether ether ketone (PEEK), a thermoplastic polymer, is an emerging alternative to titanium for use in MSTS. The modulus of elasticity of PEEK (3.6 GPa) is close to that of cortical bone (17-21 GPa), resulting in minimal stress shielding. Its radiolucent and nonmetallic properties cause minimal interference with magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scans. PEEK also causes low-dose perturbation for radiotherapy planning. However, PEEK has reduced bioactivity with bone and lacks sufficient rigidity to be used as rods in MSTS. The reduced bioactivity of PEEK may be addressed by 1) surface modification (introducing porosity or bioactive coating with hydroxyapatite [HA] or titanium) and 2) forming composites with HA/titanium. The mechanical properties of PEEK may be improved by forming composites with HA or carbon fiber. Despite these modifications, all PEEK and PEEK-based implants are difficult to handle and contour intraoperatively. Our review provides a comprehensive overview of PEEK and modified PEEK implants, with a description of their properties and limitations, potentially serving as a basis for their future development and use in MSTS.

Purpose: To evaluate prosthetic complications and patient satisfaction with maxillary polyether ether ketone (PEEK) hybrid prosthesis veneered with acrylic or composite resin for individuals restored by “All on four” implants Materials and methods: Six patients with edentulous maxilla opposing mandibular implant overdentures had four implants in-between maxillary antrums according to the All on four concept and full arch PEEK fixed restoration veneered with acrylic resin (control group). The study group comprised six patients who had four implants using the All on four protocol and full arch PEEK fixed restoration veneered with composite resin. For both groups, prosthetic complications and patient satisfaction using visual analogue scale were measures after one year. Results: There were no prosthesis fractures, cylinder fracture, abutment fracture, prosthetic screw fractures occurred in both groups. Crown fracture occurred significantly more in the composite group compared to the acrylic group (p=.046).. The composite group showed significant higher overall chewing and esthetics compared to the acrylic group. On the other hand, the acrylic group showed significant higher ease of cleaning than the composite group. No difference in mouth comfort and speech between groups was noted. Conclusion: Both acrylic and composite veneers for full arch PEEK fixed restoration can be used successfully for rehabilitation of patients with maxillary All on four concept as they achieve favorable prosthetic and patient satisfaction out comes. However, composite veneers may be advantageous in term of satisfaction with chewing and esthetics and acrylic veneers may be advantageous in terms of crown fractures and ease of cleaning.

A highly stable anion exchange membrane (AEM) is constructed by linking bipyridine to a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) polymer. First, PEEK is prepared by the polycondensation reaction; N-bromosuccini...

Introduction: Removable dentures are used by 20% of the population. These may be accompanied by denture stomatitis in 15-70% of patients. The choice of the optimal cleansing agent for removable dental prostheses is of high significance. Aim: The aim of our research was to study the influence of removable denture cleansing products on the adhesion of microorganisms and yeast. Materials and Methods: We manufactured 144 specimens of standardized round shape with a diameter of 10 mm from 4 types of modern polymeric materials used by prosthetic dentistry to produce removable dentures, 12 specimens of each material were placed into suspensions of bacterial cultures of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, then into “ClearaSept” (Test group 1), “Рrotefix active cleanser” (Test group 2), saline solution (Control group), followed by nutrient media. The adhesion index was calculated and analyzed. Results: There was no reliable lowering of adhesion index of Staphylococcus Aureus to all materials detected in Test group 1 (U=6, p>0.05 for Bio XS; U=8, p>0.05 for Dental D, Denotokeep Peek, Vertex Rapid Simplified). In Test group 2, the adhesion index of Staphylococcus Aureus reliably decreased to all materials compared to the Control group (U=0, p≤0.01). The adhesion index of Candida albicans and Escherichia coli to all materials in Test group 1 had a minor to moderate reliable reduction compared to the Control group (U=0, p≤0.01). Test group 2 showed a significant reliable decrease in Candida albicans and Escherichia coli adhesion index to all materials in comparison with the Control group (U=0, p≤0.01). Conclusion: The research showed an unreliable or minor and moderate reliable decrease in microorganisms adhesion index depending on the microorganism species after treatment of denture material specimens by antibacterial soap “ClearaSept” and a reliable significant decrease in microbial and yeast adhesion after application of Protefix active cleaner solution, which demonstrates a more significant antimicrobial effect in comparison to “ClearaSept” against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans.

With an increase in the use of carbon fiber composites in the aerospace and automobile industry a collateral issue of what to do with end-of-life carbon fiber composites has risen. In this study, we successfully developed a second-generation composite using a heterogenous mixture of thermoset and thermoplastic recycled carbon fiber composites (CFCs). The recovered vinyl ester and epoxy CFCs (thermosets) were characterized using thermogravimetric analysis. Adhesive performance was evaluated through double lap shear tests by melt-bonding a thermoplastic polyether ether ketone (PEEK) CFC to either the thermoset epoxy or vinyl ester CFC. The waste carbon fiber composites were also mechanically milled and classified through screening techniques. The resulting milled materials were used to form and produce composite panels through high temperature compression molding. The influence of particle size and platen temperature were evalauted through mechanical testing. Results indicate that melt-bonding with the vinyl ester/CFC exhibited significantly higher lap shear strength values than that between epoxy/CFC and PEEK. Findings also show that adding thermoset CFCs to the thermoplastic system (PEEK) enhanced the flexural properties of composites.

Polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) has been proposed as a biocompatible artificial joint material. Wear particles, generated by friction between artificial joints, lead to bone resorption, aseptic loosening, and ultimately, joint failure. The size and morphology of wear particles contain information of friction and wear. Aim to obtain the wear mechanism of PEEK under different loads, this study separated PEEK debris and investigated the mechanism of wear debris and the relationship between wear mechanism and PEEK-debris morphology. An experiment was carried out with a pin-on-plate testing apparatus under different load conditions, with PEEK sliding against XLPE under saline lubrication. A method of isolating PEEK and XLPE debris from 0.9% normal saline at the same time was investigated by low-speed centrifugation. The morphologies of worn surface and wear debris were obtained based on scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the maximum friction coefficient and minimum wear loss were 0.115 and 0.223 mg at the load of 50 N. The friction coefficient decreased and the wear loss increased with the load increase. This debris-isolation method can effectively isolate PEEK and XLPE particles larger than 200 nm in diameter. More than 96% wear PEEK particles range from 0.1 µm to 10 μm. Compared with the debris generated under the lower load condition, 0.8% more large wear particles with irregular shapes were found at a load of 150 N. The morphology of wear particles is consistent with the wear mechanism.

To determine the impact of mechanical stability on the progress of bone ongrowth on the frame surfaces of a titanium-coated polyether ether ketone (TCP) cage and a three-dimensional porous titanium alloy (PTA) cage following posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) until 1 year postoperatively. A total of 59 patients who underwent one- or two-level PLIF for degenerative lumbar disorders since March 2015 were enrolled. Bone ongrowth of all cage frame surfaces (four surfaces per cage: TCP, 288 surfaces and PTA, 284 surfaces) was graded by 6-month and 1-year postoperative computed tomography color mapping (grade 0, 0‒25% of bone ongrowth; grade 1, 26‒50%; grade 2, 51‒75%; and grade 3, 76‒100%). Bone ongrowth (≥ grade 1) was observed on 58.0% and 69.0% of the surfaces of TCP and PTA cages 6 months postoperatively and on 63.5% and 75.0% of those 1 year postoperatively, respectively. In the TCP cages, bone ongrowth grade increased from 6 months to 1 year postoperatively only in the union segments (median, 1 [interquartile range, IQR, 0–2] to 1 [IQR, 0–3], p = 0.006). By contrast, in the PTA cages, it increased at 6 months postoperatively in the union (1 [IQR, 1–2] to 2 [IQR, 1–3], p = 0.003) and non-union (0.5 [IQR, 0–2] to 1 [IQR, 0–2.75], p = 0.002) segments. Early postoperative mechanical stability has a positive impact on the progress of bone ongrowth on both the TCP and PTA cage frame surfaces after PLIF.

This work presents failure analysis of a heavy-duty, four-stage, double-action, reciprocating CO2 compressor, which resulted in the shutdown of an ammonia plant. The failure occurred in the fourth stage of the compressor, during which the piston rod, piston rings, a suction valve, and associated valve cage are found fractured. The failure analysis includes details of site visit, visual inspection, dye penetrant test, fractography, and microstructural analysis. Furthermore, Xanthoproteic test was conducted on the extracts of the failed piston rings that confirmed the presence of bacterial cellular protein. When the morphology of the failed piston ring was studied using a scanning electron microscope, unique degradation features and the presence of bacterial metabolic products were observed conforming to the growth of bacteria. In-service biodegradation of the piston ring material (polyether ether ketone composite) is adjudged as the root cause for the compressor failure.

Rapid prototyping is swiftly gaining acceptance in the healthcare sector as it is helping surgeons to create patient specific implants in a fraction of time as compared to traditional approaches like injection molding or Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining. The inputs provided by Surgeons have a major role in designing the implant that is better fit for the patient. It includes usage of techniques such as Three-Dimensional (3D) printing to create patient specific implants made of biologically compatible polymers like Polyether Ether Ketone (PEEK), Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA), that replace traditional materials like Steel, Hydroxyapatite (HA) ceramics and Titanium. Polymers like PEEK have shown better bio compatibility and stability when used for implants as compared to traditional materials but lack in osseointegration due to their bio-inert nature. In this study we have surveyed materials such as PEEK, PMMA for Rapid prototyping or 3D Printing of orthopedic implants which are used in craniofacial reconstruction surgery. The outcome of this study may help researchers and surgeons in designing better implants for patients.

Poor osseointegration ability and the release of worn debris after implantation are the main issues impeding the clinic application of polyether ether ketone (PEEK) as orthopedics. To address these problems, we expect that the initial deposition of diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating on PEEK substrate and the subsequent introduction of amino groups onto sample surface using plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) have the potential to simultaneously improve the mechanical performance and osseointegration. On one hand, the surface hardness is raised from 0.38 ​GPa to 2.99 ​GPa and the elastic modulus reaches 35 ​GPa after DLC deposition, while no failure is observed in the scratch tests even the loading force is up to 100 ​N. On the other hand, the introduced amino groups facilitate the adhesion, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation of the osteoblasts in vitro, and further enhanced the peri-implant bone regeneration in vivo. With the merits of low cost, clean approach, and ease of operation, the approach described here holds great potential for biomedical applications.

Few-layers graphene oxide enriched with oxygen functional groups is successfully obtained and incorporated into sulfonated polyether ether ketone (SPEEK) matrix. The functional groups and the surface modification of membranes were identified using FTIR spectroscopy, and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). Subsequently, FESEM was employed to study the surface morphology changes, and the X-Ray diffraction (XRD) was performed to ascertain the crystallinity of the fabricated membrane. The distribution of carbonaceous fillers GO in SPEEK matrix was found to actively improved the ion exchange capacity (IEC), and concurrently obstructed the methanol crossover, thus making them intriguing candidates as proton exchange membranes (PEMs).