Surface modification of Polyether-ether-ketone for enhanced cell response: a chemical etching approach.

Polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) is increasingly becoming popular in medicine because of its excellent mechanical strength, dimensional stability, and chemical resistance properties. However, PEEK being bioinert, has weak bone osseointegration properties, limiting its clinical applications. In this study, a porous PEEK structure was developed using a chemical etching method with 98 wt% sulfuric acids and three post-treatments were performed to improve bone cell adhesion and proliferation.