Date Approved
6-30-2025
Embargo Period
6-30-2027
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D. Chemical Engineering
Department
Chemical Engineering
College
Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering
Advisor
Joseph F. Stanzione III, Ph.D.
Committee Member 1
James Newell, Ph.D.
Committee Member 2
Francis M. Haas, Ph.D.
Committee Member 3
Giuseppe R. Palmese, Ph.D.
Committee Member 4
Daniel B. Knorr, Ph.D.
Keywords
Additive Manufacturing;Carbon;Composites;Kinetics
Disciplines
Chemical Engineering | Engineering
Abstract
Carbon-based composites are essential structural components and thermal protection systems in modern automotive, aerospace, and defense applications but require prohibitively long manufacturing times and have a limited range of functional geometries. This work investigates the feasibility of using a high-performance aromatic backbone thermoplastic as a novel carbon matrix precursor for such composites to reduce both processing time and build limitations. This assessment was focused on the ability of poly(ether-ketone-ketone) (PEKK) to form graphitizing carbon, which is essential to the fabrication of mechanically strong composites with high thermal conductivity. Carbon fiber-reinforced PEKK composites were annealed to achieve high degrees of crystallinity and subsequently induction heated to preserve the crystalline structure and form well-ordered char. A kinetic modeling framework of competitive pyrolysis and crosslinking was constructed, with the latter proven to increase char yield but reduce structural order. Furthermore, a catalytic graphitization method was employed in the additive manufacturing of PEKK-derived ablative thermal protection coatings. These findings demonstrate that crystallinity increases the graphitizing ability of PEKK when rapidly heated, and that this effect is exacerbated in the presence of a transition metal catalyst. Overall, this dissertation presents multiple methods to rapidly produce high-performance carbon composites from PEKK with tailorable structural properties.
Recommended Citation
Schwenger, Matthew Scott, "Carbon Composites from poly(ether-ketone-ketone) (PEKK)-based Precursors" (2025). Theses and Dissertations. 3409.
https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/3409
