Fibers sized with a coating of amorphous polyetherketoneketone are useful in the preparation of reinforced polymers having improved properties, wherein the amorphous polyetherketoneketone can improve the compatibility of the fibers with the polymeric matrix.

One-dimensional nanostructures having uniform diameters of less than approximately 200 nm. These inventive nanostructures, which we refer to as nanowires, include single-crystalline homostructures as well as heterostructures of at least two single-crystalline materials having different chemical compositions. Because single-crystalline materials are used to form the heterostructure, the resultant heterostructure will be single-crystalline as well. The nanowire heterostructures are generally based on a semiconducting wire wherein the doping and composition are controlled in either the longitudinal or radial directions, or in both directions, to yield a wire that comprises different materials. Examples of resulting nanowire heterostructures include a longitudinal heterostructure nanowire (LOHN) and a coaxial heterostructure nanowire (COHN).

Fibers sized with a coating of amorphous polyetherketoneketone are useful in the preparation of reinforced polymers having improved properties, wherein the amorphous polyetherketoneketone can improve the compatibility of the fibers with the polymeric matrix.

There is provided a fiber and method of making a fiber. The fiber has an inner-volume portion having a first outer diameter, a plurality of nanostructures, and one or more first polymers. The nanostructures act as an orientation template for orientation of the one or more first polymers in a direction parallel to a longitudinal axis of the fiber. The fiber has an outer-volume portion having a second outer diameter and one or more second polymers. The outer-volume portion is in contact with and completely encompasses the inner-volume portion. The inner-volume portion has at least one of a tensile modulus and a strength that are higher than at least one of a tensile modulus and a strength of the outer-volume portion.

There is provided a method of making a fiber having improved resistance to microfracture formation at a fiber-matrix interface. The method includes mixing a plurality of nanostructures and one or more first polymers in a first solvent to form an inner-volume portion mixture, mixing one or more second polymers in a second solvent to form an outer-volume portion mixture, spinning the inner-volume portion mixture and the outer-volume portion mixture to form a precursor fiber, heating the precursor fiber to oxidize the precursor fiber and to change a molecular-bond structure of the precursor fiber, and obtaining a fiber. The fiber has an inner-volume portion with a first outer diameter, the nanostructures, and with the one or more first polymers, and has an outer-volume portion with a second outer diameter and the one or more second polymers, the outer-volume portion being in contact with and completely encompassing the inner-volume portion.

Fibers sized with a coating of amorphous polyetherketoneketone are useful in the preparation of reinforced polymers having improved properties, wherein the amorphous polyetherketoneketone can improve the compatibility of the fibers with the polymeric matrix.