Polyetheretherketone (PEEK)

Always more is the motto of the plastics industry, which is constantly striving to push back the limits of the use of these materials. Among high-performance thermoplastic polymers, aromatic polyetherketones (PAEKs) are attracting considerable industrial and scientific interest.

However, the high cost of PAEK, several hundred francs per kilogram, has considerably reduced the expected growth. Ten years ago, worldwide consumption of 5,000 t/year was forecast for 1997. In fact, this figure will barely reach 1,000 t. Although numerous PAEK variants have been marketed, with various arrangements of ether and ketone bonds, the market has been abandoned by most producers.

Polyetheretherketone or PEEK Victrex™ from the VICTREX Company, introduced in 1981, now accounts for the bulk of consumption. After a long period of mainly academic interest, PEEK has recently seen very significant development in a variety of applications where ultimate performance is demanded of the materials used.