Dallal Samreen, Eslami Babak, Tiari Saeed
Biomedical Engineering Department, Widener University, One University Place, Chester, PA 19013, USA.
Mechanical Engineering Department, Widener University, One University Place, Chester, PA 19013, USA.
Polymers (Basel). 2025 Jul 17;17(14):1968. doi: 10.3390/polym17141968.
Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is a high-performance thermoplastic polymer widely recognized for its distinct mechanical strength, chemical resistance, and biocompatibility. These characteristics make it suitable for a wide range of applications, particularly in medical, aerospace, chemical, and electronics fields. Conventional processing techniques, such as 3D printing, molding, and extrusion, are widely employed for PEEK fabrication. This review critically examines recent advancements in PEEK research, with an emphasis on additive manufacturing techniques that are expanding its applications in the medical field. We provide an in-depth analysis of PEEK's intrinsic properties, diverse processing methods, and current challenges that hinder its wider adoption. In addition to evaluating PEEK's performance, this review compares it with alternative biomaterials-such as titanium and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)-to explore its advantages and limitations in biomedical applications. Furthermore, this review discusses cost considerations, regulatory constraints, long-term clinical performance challenges, and failure modes that are essential for validating and ensuring the reliability of PEEK in clinical use. By synthesizing the recent literature, particularly from the last decade, this review highlights the significant potential of PEEK and underscores ongoing research efforts aimed at overcoming its limitations, paving the way for its broader implementation in advanced technological applications.
聚醚醚酮（PEEK）是一种高性能热塑性聚合物，因其独特的机械强度、耐化学性和生物相容性而广受认可。这些特性使其适用于广泛的应用领域，尤其是在医疗、航空航天、化工和电子领域。传统加工技术，如3D打印、成型和挤出，被广泛用于聚醚醚酮的制造。本综述批判性地审视了聚醚醚酮研究的最新进展，重点关注正在拓展其在医疗领域应用的增材制造技术。我们对聚醚醚酮的固有特性、多样的加工方法以及阻碍其更广泛应用的当前挑战进行了深入分析。除了评估聚醚醚酮的性能外，本综述还将其与替代生物材料（如钛和超高分子量聚乙烯（UHMWPE））进行比较，以探讨其在生物医学应用中的优势和局限性。此外，本综述还讨论了成本考量、监管限制、长期临床性能挑战以及失效模式，这些对于验证和确保聚醚醚酮在临床使用中的可靠性至关重要。通过综合近期文献，特别是过去十年的文献，本综述突出了聚醚醚酮的巨大潜力，并强调了旨在克服其局限性的持续研究努力，为其在先进技术应用中的更广泛实施铺平道路。
