The nano-/microscale stiffness and hardness of the crystalline structures developing in polyether ether ketone (PEEK), including individual spherulites and transcrystalline (TC) layers, were determined using nanoindentation and atomic force microscopy (AFM) in force spectroscopy mode in samples containing few carbon fibers. The crystalline morphologies were identified using polarized light microscopy (PLM) in transmission mode.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have attracted significant interest due to their tunable physical properties when stacked into homo- and heterostructures. Twisting adjacent layers introduces moire patterns that strongly influence the material’s electronic and thermal behavior. In twisted graphene systems, the twist angle critically alters phonon transport, leading to reduced thermal conductivity compared to Bernal-stacked configurations. However, experimental investigations into thermal transport in twisted structures remain limited.

Charge transport in two-dimensional crystals is critical for a large variety of future applications, and it is therefore highly desirable to get a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms. Here, we focus on the MXene Ti₃C₂T_x, which has recently garnered significant attention for its potential in printable electronics, energy storage and electromagnetic interference shielding, for which electrical properties play a leading role.

Nanoindentation (NI) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) nanoindentation, coupled with polarized light microscopy (PLM), were used to determine the nano-/micromechanical behavior of the amorphous regions and individual crystalline structures, both spherulites and transcrystalline (TC) layers, in PEEK samples containing few carbon fibers. To this aim, thin model samples with a controlled thickness were manufactured to allow both microstructure characterization in transmission mode and indentation tests without substrate effects.

The prediction of the micromechanical response of fibre-reinforced polymer composites with numerical models relies on the assumption that the matrix behaves like a bulk sample of the same polymer. Yet, the presence of fibres likely impacts the thermochemical history and mechanical behaviour of the matrix (e.g. formation of an interphase during processing). In this work, micromechanical analysis of a thermoplastic polymer matrix is performed on glass fibre-reinforced composite samples manufactured by vacuum infusion and in-situ polymerisation.