Disclosed herein are compositions comprising a polymer comprising polyetherimide, polyetheretherketone, polyamide, polyoxyalkylene, or polyalkylene terephthalate, or a mixture thereof, and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, wherein the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene comprises a surface modifier. Also disclosed are articles comprising one or more of the described compositions. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention.