Abstract
In this study, single splats of polyether ether ketone were plasma sprayed onto aluminum substrates that had been boiled, etched, or polished and then thermally treated, except for one etched substrate, to remove water from the surface. Splat morphology was viewed in a scanning electron microscope and splat-substrate interfaces were examined using TEM and focused ion beam imaging. The results show that PEEK splats have a poor level of contact on aluminum substrates that were boiled and those that were etched but not thermally treated. In contrast, specimens that had undergone thermal treatment to minimize the presence of water on the substrate surface exhibited high levels of contact at the splat-substrate interface with significantly less porosity.
