NEW WHITE PAPER

Techniques to Enhance the Bioactivity of 
Polyetheretherketone (PEEK)

Himed’s new white paper reviews the vast benefits of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) in hard tissue applications, and explores multiple techniques using calcium phosphate materials to enhance the biocompatibility of PEEK for optimal medical device performance.

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is a thermoplastic polymer that is appealing for biomedical applications due to its bone-like mechanical properties, chemical stability, and radiolucency. However, its practical use is significantly limited by its hydrophobic nature and inability to integrate directly with bone tissue.

To overcome these functional barriers, Himed has been advancing techniques to promote PEEK osseointegration through the use of bioactive calcium phosphates.

In this white paper, Himed details three methodologies for introducing greater biocompatibility to PEEK, citing dozens of studies in the process, to support medical device designers and materials engineers in improving the efficacy of polymer-based implantable devices

  • Micro-abrasive blasting with a resorbable blast media of biphasic calcium phosphate can increase the roughness of commercially available PEEK, shifting the surface from bioinert to biocompatible.

  • Coatings of hydroxyapatite (HA) maintain the mechanical properties of the bulk polymer, but change the surface properties that interact with the body. Himed’s MATRIX HA® uses an atmospheric plasma spray to apply a dense, osteoconductive, HA coating.

  • The particle morphology of calcium phosphate biomaterials can impact the biological and mechanical properties of PEEK composites significantly. The method of manufacture can impact particle properties, and a number of different forms, including Himed’s unique rod-like HA whiskers.

Detailed diagrams and SEM imagery throughout the white paper illustrate the different methodologies for utilizing hydroxyapatite, and other biomaterials, to optimize the performance of PEEK.

Request Himed’s Polyetheretherketone
White Paper

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