What is the best polymer in the world?

The material that can fit into the category of high-performance polymers includes PEEK (Polyether Ether Ketone) which is considered to be one of the best materials. For these reasons, it displays a range of characteristics that make it ideal suited to a number of challenging uses in many fields. In this blog, we shall take the reader through all these aspects and more: why PEEK is not your average high-performance polymer; the comparison between PEEK and other high-performance thermoplastics like PEI, LCP, PI, and PPS; and the application of each of these polymers.

Why PEEK is the Best Polymer？

• Exceptional Thermal Resistance

PEEK can be used continuously at temperature up to 260 ℃ and one shot use up to temperature of 300 ℃. This impressive thermal stability makes PEEK to work in ways that would be unthinkable of by other traditional plastics.

• Outstanding Chemical Resistance

PEEK is resistant to majority of chemicals which include acids, bases, solvents, oils and the like. Due to this property, the material may be used in industries that use chemicals and in oil and gas sectors.

• Superior Mechanical Properties

The tensile strength for PEEK is roughly around 100MPa while the modulus of elasticity is High, as for weight its light but very strong. These properties put it in a perfect position for applications that require it to bear loads in a number of sectors.

• Low Friction Coefficient

This is because PEEK has a low friction coefficient, this is equal to PTFE; therefore, it is suitable for the applications that require low wear and friction such as in the bearings and seals.

• Biocompatibility

PEEK is biologically inactive and this implies that when in contact with human tissue or blood the material will not cause any reaction. For this reason, it is regarded as the most compatible with body tissues thus being widely used in the production of medical implants and devices.

Comparison with Other High-Performance Polymers

While PEEK is a standout polymer, it is not alone in the high-performance category. Here’s a comparison of PEEK with other notable polymers:

• Key Properties Comparison

• Applications Comparison

Conclusion

PEEK is thus a special material with specific characteristics such as high temperature resistance, excellent chemical resistance, good mechanical properties, low wearing properties, and biocompatibility making it appropriate for many uses in competitive industries such as aerospace, automobiles, electronics, and medical instruments industries. Although there are other high performance polymers such as PEI, LCP, PI and PPS that also have incredible properties and which may suit certain applications they cannot be compared to the PEEK which is considered as the reference material of polymer science. Thus, if there are certain demands and conditions for your future polymer, the choice can easily fall on PEEK. This paper aims to pay a tribute to PEEK as one of the world’s best polymers that remains relevant in the constantly transforming field of materials science.

Zhejiang BW Industry invested 15 million new PEEK application technology R&D center has been put into use, with the help of this R&D center, our technicians can provide a lot of technical services for the kind of peek industry, mainly including:

• Developing new PEEK grades according to the new requirements of the different industries.
• Provide PEEK product design suggestions
• Provide PEEK processing molds and equipment requirements
• Suggesting and optimizing process parameters for PEEK products
• Detecting the crystallinity of PEEK products
• Test and analyze the composition of unknown samples
• Provide on-site technical service