Effects of printing path and material components on mechanical properties of 3D-printed polyether-ether-ketone/hydroxyapatite composites

Polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) exhibits excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility. Three-dimensional (3D) printing of PEEK bone substitutes has been widely used in clinical application. However, the inertness of pure PEEK hinders its integration with the surrounding bone tissue. In this study, for the first time, PEEK/hydroxyapatite (HA) composite specimens were fabricated using fused filament fabrication (FFF) technology. PEEK/HA filaments with HA contents of 0–30 wt% were fabricated via mechanical mixing and extrusion. The HA distributions inside the composite matrix and the surface morphology characteristics of the PEEK/HA composites were examined. The effects of the printing path and HA content on the mechanics of the PEEK/HA composites were systematically investigated. The results indicated that the HA particles were uniformly distributed on the composite matrix. With an increase in the HA content, the modulus of the PEEK/HA composite increased, while the strength and failure strain concomitantly decreased. When the HA content increased to 30 wt%, the tensile modulus of the composite increased by 68.6% compared with that of pure PEEK printed along the horizontal 90° path, while the tensile strength decreased by 48.2% compared with that of pure PEEK printed along the vertical 90° path. The fracture elongation of the printed specimens with different HA contents decreased in the following order: horizontal 0° > horizontal 90° > vertical 90°. The best comprehensive mechanical properties were achieved for pure PEEK fabricated along the horizontal 0° path. The results indicate that FFF technology is applicable for additive manufacturing of PEEK/HA composites with controllable compositions. Printed PEEK/HA composites have potential for applications in the design and manufacturing of personalized bone substitutes.