High-performance polymers

high-performance-polymers

11 materials across 1 types

About high-performance polymers

High-performance polymers (PEEK, PEI, PPS, PSU, PPSU, PES, PAI, PBI, PEK, PEKK): temperature limits, strength and stiffness with sources.

High-performance polymers keep their strength at temperatures where ordinary plastics soften. They are used where metal is too heavy or too reactive: aerospace interiors, medical devices, chip-making equipment and chemical plant.

Filled and unfilled grades differ a lot, so each value names its grade.

At a glance

Highest density: Polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) reaches 1.68 g/cm³. Lowest: Polysulfone (PSU) starts at 1.22 g/cm³. (11 of 11 grades have a sourced value.)
Highest tensile strength: Poly fibre (Zylon) reaches 5,800 MPa. Lowest: Polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) starts at 69.6 MPa. (7 of 11 grades have a sourced value.)
Highest young's modulus: Poly fibre (Zylon) reaches 270 GPa. Lowest: Polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) starts at 1.06 GPa. (10 of 11 grades have a sourced value.)

Ranges run across the conditions each source reports (temper, heat treatment, form), measured at room temperature where the source says so.

How they compare

The same measurements for every material in the collection. A range means the grade has values under several conditions; "at least" means the source gives a specified minimum. "no data" means no sourced value yet. For ranked tables, open a benchmark.

High-performance polymers: how the grades compare
Material	Density	Tensile strength	Young's modulus	Glass transition	Heat deflection temperature	Maximum service temperature
Polyamide-imide (PAI)high-performance thermoplastic (Torlon), unfilled tough grade 4203L and graphite-filled bearing grade 4301	1.41 to 1.45 g/cm³	113 to 138 MPa	4.14 to 6.83 GPa	275 °C	278 to 279 °C	260 °C
Polybenzimidazole (PBI)High-temperature aromatic polymer used as flame-resistant fibre and moulded resin, and in NASA space textiles	1.28 to 1.3 g/cm³	160 MPa	5.9 GPa	415 to 425 °C	435 °C	260 to 400 °C
Poly fibre (Zylon)high-strength fibre	1.4 g/cm³	3,220 to 5,800 MPa	137 to 270 GPa	no data	no data	no data
Polyetheretherketone (PEEK)structural/insulating polymer	1.3 g/cm³	no data	no data	no data	no data	no data
Polyetherimide (PEI)high-performance thermoplastic (Ultem), flame-retardant grades for moulding and FDM printing	1.27 to 1.34 g/cm³	no data	3.2 GPa	186 to 217 °C	173 to 201 °C	no data
Polyetherketone (PEK)structural/insulating polymer	1.3 g/cm³	no data	4.2 to 4.3 GPa	141 to 165 °C	163 °C	no data
Polyetherketoneketone (PEKK)structural/insulating polymer	1.29 g/cm³	93.9 to 116 MPa	1.06 to 4 GPa	158 to 165 °C	164 °C	no data
Polyethersulfone (PES)high-performance amorphous thermoplastic (poly(oxy-1,4-phenylenesulfonyl-1,4-phenylene), sold as Ultrason E, Sumikaexcel and Sustason PES); the sulfone-only sibling of PSU	1.37 g/cm³	no data	2.64 GPa	225 °C	205 °C	220 °C
Polyphenylene sulfide (PPS)high-temperature thermoplastic for moulded electrical, fluid-handling and automotive parts	1.36 to 1.68 g/cm³	179 to 200 MPa	5.77 GPa	90 °C	104 to 280 °C	170 °C
Polyphenylsulfone (PPSU)high-performance amorphous thermoplastic (poly(biphenyl ether sulfone), sold as Radel R-5000 by Syensqo and Ultrason P by BASF); the biphenyl sibling of PES and PSU	1.29 g/cm³	69.6 MPa	2.34 GPa	220 °C	197 to 207 °C	no data
Polysulfone (PSU)high-performance amorphous thermoplastic (bisphenol-A polysulfone, sold as Udel and Sultron), flown as a sample on MISSE 2	1.22 g/cm³	70.3 MPa	2.48 GPa	190 to 230 °C	174 °C	no data

What these materials are made of

Composition by weight, as printed in the sources for each grade (the first constituents listed).

Composition of each grade
Material	Main constituents
Polyetheretherketone (PEEK)	C 79.2% · H 4.2% · O 16.6%
Polyetherimide (PEI)	C 75% · H 4.1% · O 16.2% · N 4.7%
Polyethersulfone (PES)	C 62.1% · H 3.5% · O 20.7% · S 13.8%
Polyphenylsulfone (PPSU)	C 72.0% · H 4.0% · O 16.0% · S 8.0%
Polysulfone (PSU)	C 73.3% · H 5.0% · O 14.5% · S 7.2%

Where they are used

Uses
Use	Grades
Thrust washers, spline liners, valve seats, bushings, bearings, wear rings and cams (Torlon 4301)	Polyamide-imide (PAI)
Thermal insulators and isolators (Torlon 4203L)	Polyamide-imide (PAI)
Electrical connectors and insulators (Torlon 4203)	Polyamide-imide (PAI)
Apollo-era tethers, belts and restraints	Polybenzimidazole (PBI)
Space Shuttle stowage partitions and Skylab apparel	Polybenzimidazole (PBI)
Protective apparel and flame-resistant clothing	Polybenzimidazole (PBI)
Ballistic body armour	Poly fibre (Zylon)
Parachute suspension lines	Poly fibre (Zylon)
Tether and high-altitude balloon structures	Poly fibre (Zylon)
3D-printed PEEK structure for a 2U CubeSat-class nanosatellite for low Earth orbit (design and ground tests only in the paper)	Polyetheretherketone (PEEK)
PEEK film samples on the exterior of the ISS Russian Service Module (flight exposure experiment)	Polyetheretherketone (PEEK)
Candidate seal or liner material for liquid-hydrogen systems (ground tensile tests only)	Polyetheretherketone (PEEK)
FDM 3D-printed parts in Ultem 9085 (flame-retardant grade)	Polyetherimide (PEI)
FDM 3D-printed aerospace parts in Ultem 9085	Polyetherimide (PEI)
Aircraft interior components (ULTEM 1000 base resin)	Polyetherimide (PEI)
Injection-moulded PEK parts from VICTREX HT G22 or G45 granules (product statement; no specific part named)	Polyetherketone (PEK)

When each grade fits

Best use and weak spots of each grade
Material	Best for	Weakest at
Polyamide-imide (PAI)	Wear-resistant bearing parts and electrical insulators that must keep their strength near 250 °C	Water uptake, attack by saturated steam and strong bases, and no atomic-oxygen or outgassing data found
Polybenzimidazole (PBI)	Flame-resistant protective fabrics and high-temperature parts that must keep stiffness, with a glass transition of 425 degC	Atomic oxygen in low Earth orbit (erosion yield of at least 2.21e-24 cm3/atom on MISSE 2); fine dust is flammable and explosive when suspended in air
Poly fibre (Zylon)	Very high-strength, stiff fibre for ballistic armour and tensile lines, where the fibre is kept out of sunlight	Ultraviolet light, which cuts tensile strength sharply; and low compressive strength (NIST: about 10 to 15 percent of tensile strength)
Polyetheretherketone (PEEK)	A stiff, heat-tolerant, low-outgassing structural and electrically insulating plastic (printed PEEK lost 0.19% of its mass in an outgassing test)	Ultraviolet and atomic-oxygen exposure in low Earth orbit (embrittled to about 15% of its original elongation on the ISS), and loss of strength between 77 K and 20 K
Polyetherimide (PEI)	High-temperature parts that need flame retardance and stiffness, with a glass transition of 217 degC for the base resin and 186 degC for the 9085 FDM grade	Atomic oxygen in low Earth orbit: an erosion yield of at least 3.31e-24 cm3/atom on the MISSE 2 sample; stress cracking in chlorinated solvents
Polyetherketone (PEK)	Stiff, heat-tolerant thermoplastic parts that need about 4300 MPa tensile modulus at 23 °C and a deflection temperature of 163 °C (VICTREX HT G22)	Flexural strength at high temperature (32.0 MPa at 175 °C for G22, against 180 MPa at 23 °C), and no space-environment data
Polyetherketoneketone (PEKK)	Stiff, flame-resistant thermoplastic for filament-printed or fibre-reinforced structural parts that must stay rigid at 150 °C and above (LOI 38 %, V-0 at 0.8 mm)	Printed parts, where crystallinity in the printed layers sets strength and ductility (tensile strength fell about 49 % when the top layer crystallized), and where printed stiffness fell far below the datasheet value. No space ageing data.
Polyethersulfone (PES)	Electrical and structural parts that must keep their shape at about 205 degC (heat deflection at 1.8 MPa) and need a UL V-0 flame class at 1.5 mm	Ultraviolet light and oxygen: UV breaks the polymer chain and forms sulfonic acid groups when oxygen is present, and no PES flight or radiation result was found
Polyphenylene sulfide (PPS)	Glass-filled moulded parts that run hot and must stay stiff: 40 % glass grades with a 265 °C deflection temperature at 1.8 MPa (ASTM D648)	Ductility: elongation at break is 1.5 % to 2.5 % in the grades read, and no PPS atomic-oxygen erosion yield was found
Polyphenylsulfone (PPSU)	Parts that must be steam sterilised many times and keep their shape near 200 degC, such as surgical instruments and flame-rated aircraft interior parts	UV and weathering: the polysulfone family is known to weather, and no numeric UV or atomic oxygen result for PPSU was found
Polysulfone (PSU)	Parts that must hold stiffness and shape at about 170 degC, can be steam-sterilised, and need dimensional stability (174 degC deflection temperature for the P-1700 grade)	Atomic oxygen in low Earth orbit, where the NASA flight sample eroded at 2.94e-24 cm3/atom; and no published glass-transition or radiation data from a manufacturer datasheet in this run