Fabrication of Hierarchical Nanostructured Silicon Nitride@Silicon Oxide Nanowires‐Carbon Nanotubes Networks for Enhancing Mechanical and Biotribological Properties of Polyetheretherketone Composites

The mechanical properties of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) are not compatible with natural bone, which limits the application in hip joint replacement. Here, we designed silicon nitride@silicon oxide (SN@SO) nanowires-radiated carbon nanotubes (SN@SO-RCNT) with a hierarchical nanowire-nanotube structure by grafting radiated carbon nanotubes (RCNT) on the surface of silicon nitride@silicon oxide (SN@SO) nanowires. The silicon oxide (SiO$_2$) transition layer was formed on the surface of silicon nitride nanowires (SN) by controlling the oxidation behavior, which induces CNT to form radiated structures. The hierarchical nanostructured SN@SO-RCNT network can improve interfacial bonding and cohesion of the PEEK matrix, effectively enhancing the mechanical strength and biotribological properties of PEEK composites. The performance of PEEK composites was further improved by increasing the number of preform layers. The SN@SO-RCNT/PEEK composite with six-layer preforms exhibited a tensile strength of 120.92 MPa, 213.91% higher than that with a single-layer preform. In fetal bovine serum, its friction coefficient and wear rate were reduced to 0.11 and 0.41 × 10$^{−14}$ m$^3$/(N·m), representing decreases of 57.69% and 41.43%, respectively. ... mehrThis work presents a promising strategy to fabricate SN@SO-RCNT-reinforced PEEK composites with enhanced mechanical and biotribological properties, consistent with their intended use in load-bearing biomedical applications such as orthopedic implants and joint replacements.