Peek, J.

Peek is a high-performance thermoplastic material used in various biomedical applications such as bone tissue engineering and dental implants. It belongs to the polyaryletherketone group and is characterized by its high crystallinity, which can range from 0% to about 40%. The results of extensive in vitro tests have confirmed that materials based on PEEK are not only cytocompatible but also compatible with living tissue. However, its hydrophobic nature limits cell adhesion and requires efforts to improve its bioactivity. To this end, mineral-polymer composites or coatings with calcium phosphates have been proposed as solutions. Despite the improved adhesion to bone tissue and increased modulus of elasticity, the strength and toughness of these composites dropped due to poor polymer adhesion to the phosphate particles. The literature reports PEEK-HA composites with HA content up to 40%, but also PEEK surface modifications by plasma application or adopting various surface structuring metals such as titanium and Ca-P-based compounds. In fact, HA ceramic coatings are one of the most frequently proposed solutions. All in all, there is still insufficient information on aspects such as the role played by the type of mineral additive and its amount in determining the properties of the composites.