A Study on the Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Polyketone/Chopped Carbon Fiber Composites

In this study, aliphatic polyketone (PK)/chopped carbon fiber (CCF) composites with various CCF contents were prepared using a modular intermeshing co-rotating twin screw extruder, and their mechanical and thermal properties such as tensile, flexural, and impact strength and thermal conductivity were investigated. The amount of CCF was increased from 0 to 50 wt%. The tensile and flexural strength of the PK/CCF composites increased as the CCF content increased, but the elongation at break and impact strength was lower than that of pure PK. Thermal properties such as heat distortion temperature and thermal conductivity increased as the CCF content increased. Morphological observations revealed that fiber orientation and interface adhesion between the PK and the CCF in the PK/CCF composites were formed due to the twin screw extrusion, which contributed to improving the mechanical and thermal properties of the composites.