Effect of crystalline structure on the hardness and interfacial adherence of flame sprayed poly(ether–ether–ketone) coatings

Flame sprayed PEEK (poly-ether–ether–ketone) coatings, with an amorphous structure, were subjected to isothermal treatments with annealing temperatures from 180 to 300 °C and holding times from 1 to 30 min. The coating structures were studied by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. All the annealed coatings exhibited semi-crystalline structures. Coexistence of thick and thin lamellae in the spherulites of annealed coatings can be deduced. The Knoop hardness and the interfacial adhesion of the coatings were examined. The annealed coatings exhibit higher hardness than the amorphous one. The formation of the thick lamellae is a determining factor for improving the coating hardness, which could restrict the motions and slippages of the polymer chains. However, the annealed coatings exhibit a weak adherence to the substrate. Some fissures or spherical porosities could be observed, in certain zones, on the coating/substrate interface. The formation of these fissures and porosities could be ascribed to the coating residual stress and the large volume contraction during the crystallization that occurred under the annealing conditions.