The effect of 3D printing fluorene-containing poly (aryl ether ketone)/poly (ether ketone) blends on interlayer strength

The limited diffusion and entanglement of the chains between beads cause pronounced anisotropy in the mechanical properties of 3D printed parts. Therefore, amorphous poly (aryl ether ketone) (aPAEK) containing fluorene groups with high intrinsic strength and good interfacial fusion is synthesized and employed to improve the interlayer adhesion of poly (ether ether ketone) (PEEK) parts. Herein, we designed an aPAEK with high intrinsic strength and good interfacial fusion with PEEK blends. The tensile strength of 30 mol% fluorene groups aPAEK was improved to 75 MPa, and the interlayer strength of 20 wt% blends was increased by 315 % compared to PEEK. Moreover, the selection of an appropriate molecular weight for aPAEK is crucial in maintaining the elevated tensile strength while promoting interlayer diffusion during the printing process. These results highlight a novel strategy for the design and development of blend polymers for interlayer reinforcement in 3D printing applications.