Xie Ming, Xiao Gui-Yong, Song Zhi-Gang, Lu Yu-Peng
Key Laboratory for Liquid-Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China.
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2024 Mar 20;16(11):13585-13596. doi: 10.1021/acsami.4c00055. Epub 2024 Mar 6.
A three-dimensional (3D) porous network can be prepared on the PEEK surface by sulfonation with enhanced osseointegration and antibacterial properties. However, few studies have been conducted on the formation mechanism of a 3D porous network. In this work, the surface and cross-sectional morphologies, chemical compositions, functional groups, surface wettability, and crystalline states of sulfonated PEEK were investigated at different sulfonation times and coagulant concentrations. The results show that the number of nodular structures and broken fibers on the sulfonated PEEK surface as well as the size of macrovoids in the cross sections increase with increasing sulfonation times when water is used as a coagulant. In contrast, dilute sulfuric acid as a coagulant can inhibit the formation of surface porous structures and macrovoids in the cross sections. Moreover, all of the sulfonated PEEK samples have the same chemical compositions but exhibit better hydrophilicity as the number of microsized pores decreases. It is proposed that non-solvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) occurs during the sulfonation process, and the formation mechanism of surface and cross-sectional morphologies is discussed. Furthermore, it is assumed that the air is trapped in the microsized pores, leaving the surface of the 3D porous network in the Cassie-wetting state. All of these preliminary results throw light on the nature of the sulfonation process and may guide further modification of the structures of sulfonated PEEK.
通过磺化可在聚醚醚酮（PEEK）表面制备具有增强骨整合和抗菌性能的三维（3D）多孔网络。然而，关于3D多孔网络的形成机制的研究很少。在这项工作中，研究了不同磺化时间和凝固剂浓度下磺化PEEK的表面和横截面形态、化学成分、官能团、表面润湿性和结晶状态。结果表明，当使用水作为凝固剂时，磺化PEEK表面的结节状结构和断裂纤维的数量以及横截面中的大孔尺寸随着磺化时间的增加而增加。相比之下，稀硫酸作为凝固剂可以抑制表面多孔结构和横截面中大孔的形成。此外，所有磺化PEEK样品具有相同的化学成分，但随着微孔数量的减少表现出更好的亲水性。提出在磺化过程中发生非溶剂诱导相分离（NIPS），并讨论了表面和横截面形态的形成机制。此外，假设空气被困在微孔中，使3D多孔网络的表面处于Cassie润湿状态。所有这些初步结果揭示了磺化过程的本质，并可能指导磺化PEEK结构的进一步改性。
