Water-Based PEKK Fiber Sizing Without Aggressive Solvents
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for applying amorphous PAEK polymers as sizing compositions to fibers require aggressive, toxic, and potentially explosive solvents, making them unsafe, environmentally hazardous, and costly, which limits their broader adoption due to the need for corrosive solvents and the generation of difficult waste management.
Innovation Solution
Functionalizing PAEK polymers, specifically PEKK, to make them water-soluble through sulfonation, blending with water to form a sizing composition, and applying this composition to fibers, followed by heating to defunctionalize and fuse the coating, using less volatile solvents and reducing waste generation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If aggressive solvents like methylene chloride or concentrated sulfuric acid are used to dissolve PAEK resin for fiber sizing, then the PAEK coating can be applied to fibers, but the process becomes dangerous, expensive, and generates difficult waste management issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the sizing composition by using water instead of aggressive organic solvents. This parameter change allows PAEK to be applied as a fiber sizing while eliminating the toxicity and safety hazards associated with methylene chloride and concentrated sulfuric acid, resolving the contradiction between manufacturability and safety
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs water, a cheap and readily available substance, as the solvent medium for PAEK sizing composition. This replaces expensive and dangerous solvents, making the process more economical and safer while generating easier-to-manage waste, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and harmful factors
2Ease of manufacture
If aggressive solvents are used to dissolve PAEK resin, then the sizing composition can be formed, but the waste management becomes difficult and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the solvent parameter from aggressive organic chemicals to water, which fundamentally alters the waste management characteristics. Water-based waste is significantly easier and less costly to treat and dispose of compared to toxic organic solvent waste, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and waste management difficulty
Solution Approach 2:
By using water as the solvent medium, the patent eliminates the need for expensive and complex waste treatment processes required for organic solvents. Water can be easily evaporated or treated, making waste management simpler and less costly while maintaining the ability to form effective sizing compositions
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method allows for a safer, more environmentally friendly, and cost-effective application of PAEK coatings on fibers, enhancing compatibility and adhesion with resin matrices, resulting in composites with improved mechanical properties and resistance to chemicals and solvents.
Implementation Method 1
heating the applied sizing composition to evaporate the water
Implementation Method 2
heating the fibers, coated with sizing composition, for example to between 300°C-400°C to defunctionalized the applied coating
Data Source
AI summary
The method includes the steps of functionalizing a polyaryletherketone (PAEK) polymer, and blending the PAEK polymer with water to form a sizing composition. The method may further include the step of applying the sizing composition to a fiber. The method may further include the step of heating the fibers, coated with sizing composition, for example to between 300C-400C. In some methods, the functionalized PAEK polymer comprises functionalized polyetherketoneketone (PEKK). In yet other methods, the functionalized PAEK polymer comprises sulfonated PEKK (sPEKK).