Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fiber reinforced polyetheretherketone (PEEK) composites

► This paper explores the effectiveness of the inclusion of expanded (ePTFE) filaments in PEEK. ► Inclusion of PTFE in PEEK dramatically reduces friction and the wear rate of the virgin materials. ► ePTFE filaments perpendicular to the sliding surface reduced the wear rate by an order of magnitude. ► The low wear of the ePTFE/PEEK samples were achieved by developing thin transfer films that utilize the highly oriented ePTFE as a lubricant reservoir. The transfer films were brown in color, thin, and contained carbon, oxygen, and fluorine at the surface. ► ePTFE fibers of 5 mm have sufficient surface area in contact to reinforce the matrix and resist pull out.