A High-Performance Thermoplastic for Wire Insulation
by Robert Barsotti, Zak Eckel, and Clement Pau, Arkema Inc.
Poly-ether-ketone-ketone (PEKK) has been found to exhibit very low dielectric constant and high breakdown voltages, even at elevated temps with significant advantages vs. other polyaryletherketones (PAEKs).
PAEKs are semi-crystalline thermoplastics marked by excellent chemical resistance and high temperature performance. In this family of polymers, the “backbone” of the monomers are repeating ether groups and ketone groups that provide the high mechanical strength of the polymers. Poly-ether-ketone-ketone (PEKK) is a melt processable, high-performance thermoplastic known for its outstanding temperature performance, chemical resistance and flame, smoke and toxicity (FST) profile. Ketones are stronger than ether groups, so polymers with higher ketone/ether ratios will typically exhibit higher strength.