The effect of cooling rate on the fibre-matrix interface adhesion for a carbon fibre/semicrystalline polyetheretherketone (PEEK) composite was characterised based on the fibre fragmentation, fibre pullout and short beam shear tests. The interface adhesion was correlated to the degree of crystallinity and the crystalline morphology, as well as the bulk mechanical properties of neat PEEK resin, all of which were in rum controlled by cooling rate. It was shown that the interface bond strength decreased with increasing cooling rate; the tensile strength and elastic modulus of PEEK resin decreased, while the ductility increased with increasing cooling rate through its dominant effect on crystallinity and spherullite size. The improvement of crystalline perfection and flattened lamella chains with high crystallinity at the interphase region were mainly responsible for the strong interface bond in composites processed at a low cooling rate. The interphase failure was characterised by brittle debonding in slow-cooled composites, whereas the amorphous PEEK-rich interphase introduced in fast cooled specimens failed in a ductile manner with extensive plastic yielding. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.