What is Polyetheretherketone’s story?
Throughout the plastics industry, PEEK is widely viewed as a leading high-performance polymer (HPP). However, the materials of choice in the automotive, aerospace, oil and gas, and medical device industries have long been metals. PEEK polymer is fast changing that mind-set.
So what is PEEK?
PEEK or polyetheretherketone, belongs to a family of polymers called aromatic polyketones, more accurately polyaryletherketones or PAEKs. That means it’s built up from the following building blocks:
- Aryl
- Ether
- Ketone
R&D into PAEKs has its origins in the 1960’s but it wasn’t until 1978 that ICI (Imperial Chemical Industries) filed its patent on PEEK which was first commercialised as Victrex PEEK polymer in 1981.
“Aromatic” usually meaning distinctive or sweet-smelling, may seem a strange word here, but scientists use it to describe some molecules containing or made from ring-like structures. Small molecules of this type, like toluene and naphthalene, have distinct odours, hence the name. PEEK itself however – like most thermoplastics – is odourless under normal conditions. From a chemical point of view, PEEK is a largely linear, semi-crystalline polymer.
To find out more on this topic, read the article by Prof. John Grasmeder, BSc PhD CEng FRSC FIMMM FIChemE, Chief Scientist at Victrex: What is Polyetheretherketone (PEEK)?
