Layerwise laser-assisted sintering and some properties of iron oxide core/PEEK shell magnetic nanocomposites

• Layerwise laser-assisted sintering allows fabricate the multidispersive iron oxide core/PEEK shell nanostructured clusters.
• Optimal regimes of the SLS for 3D samples were determined in the powdered system PEEK + nano FexOy.
• External magnetic field brings to the structural ordering of the nanoparticles of iron oxides inside of a polymer matrix.

Iron oxide nanoparticles ranging in average size from 42 to 235 nm were prepared by levitation jet aerosol synthesis. The nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, BET measurements, and vibrating sample magnetometry. The selective laser sintering (SLS) process was proposed for fabrication and characterization of polymer nanocomposite based on nano oxides of FexOy type with biocompatible polyetheretherketone (PEEK) powder and manufacturing of porous tissue engineering scaffolds. The optimal regimes of laser sintering on the Nd+3: YAG laser were carried out both with the applied external magnet field and without it. The influence of the external magnetic field led to ordering of the ferromagnetic nano oxides upon the polymeric matrix along the lines of the magnetic field, which could be useful for medical applications. Results on microstructural evaluation of ferromagnetic nano oxide samples were obtained using optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with an energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. The studies showed that both core–shell systems had the expected crystalline structure.

High magnification SEM image of multidispersive magnetite + hematite core/PEEK shell nanostructured clusters after SLS process.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide