State‐of‐the‐art review on the high‐performance poly (ether ether ketone) composites for mechanical, tribological and bioactive characteristics

Abstract Poly‐ether‐ether‐ketones (PEEK) exhibit a distinctive combination of thermo‐oxidative stability, chemical and solvent resistance, toughness, stiffness, and other mechanical properties, flame resistance at elevated temperatures. The promising applications in different fields evolved on several modifications, incorporating functional fillers, nanoparticles, fibers, etc. The incorporation of carbon fiber, carbon nanotubes, and graphene improves remarkably the mechanical, electrical and structural performance, precisely thermal stability, mechanical properties, thermal and electrical conductivity. The inorganic nanoparticles such as WS 2 , SiO 2 , or Al 2 O 3 improve the matrix's tribological properties; particularly wear resistance and the coefficient of friction. Poly‐ether‐ether‐ketones is a biocompatible polymer that has gained a lot of attention as a replacement of metallic implants and other orthopedic, spinal, trauma, and dentistry applications. It has recently been used in cranioplasty to provide better protection. Bioactive surface modification of carbon–PEEK composites has only been documented in a few researches. PEEK is preferred because of its similar biocompatibility, elasticity to the bone, and radiolucency; however, due to its inert properties, it fails to integrate with the bone. Titanium (Ti) and Ti‐alloys are widely used in many intraosseous implants due to their biocompatibility and ability to osseointegrate. This review article provides a comprehensive overview of the research on PEEK‐based composites, mainly mechanical, tribological and bioactive performance. PEEK and PEEK‐based composites are also explored in terms of additive manufacturing. The impact of the preparation conditions, processing parameters, type of reinforcement, and the functional filler's concentration level on the structure and properties of the resultant materials are discussed. Finally, the current and potential applications and the future prospective recommendations are proposed in the last section.