Electrophoretic Deposition of Polyaryletheretherketone (PEEK) from a Matching Density Solvent Mixture

摘要

Investigating the electrodeposition properties of PEEK from solvents such as ethanol and acetone presents difficulties due to the higher density of the polymer particles relative to that of the solvent. The settling rate in unagitated baths is too rapid to obtain consistent deposits. Whole-bath or bulk agitation aimed at maintaining particle suspension can disturb electrodeposits due to eddies and other turbulent flow effects. To eliminate settling, mixtures of two solvents have been employed, the individual solvents having respectively lower and higher densities than PEEK. The proportions of the mixture are adjusted to be the same density as PEEK so that a colloid-like suspension of PEEK particles is possible. This enables the electrodeposition of PEEK to be studied without any significant gravitation or whole-bath agitation effects. Eliminating mechanical agitation of the suspension enables a study of the influence of target electrode movement alone on the rate and quality of electrodeposition.