OPM Announces Proprietary Technology For Applying Nanoscale PEKK Coating To Orthopedic Devices

Oxford Performance Materials, Inc. (OPM), a materials science company and industry leader in advanced biomedical polymers and high-performance additive manufacturing (HPAM), announced today that it has been awarded a patent for its proprietary coating technology.

OPM’s patented OXPEKK-SC (Solution Casting) product - first commercialized in April 2018 - delivers a sub-micron thin film with medical applications as a coating for various implantable devices and instrumentation during production processes. OXPEKK-SC is a water-based solution that when applied, produces an ultra-thin film designed to provide the full range of the biological features of poly-ether-ketone-ketone – including osseoconductivity, antibacterial characteristics and biocompatibility - in addition to PEKK’s mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. OXPEKK-SC film tenaciously bonds to most substrates and can be applied via spray or dipped with a minimum thickness of 75nm.

Studies have demonstrated that OPM’s OsteoFab implant technology (3D printed PEKK) promotes bone ongrowth and possesses inherent antibacterial characteristics, and this exciting new coating process may provide similar benefits on implantable devices pre-treated with OXPEKK-SC. The primary use for such thin coatings would be on the surfaces of implantable orthopedic devices. These devices are generally fabricated using metallic materials like titanium, cobalt chrome, and iron alloys. Over time, these metals have been shown to corrode within the body, releasing metal ions that can degrade device performance and impose systemic side effects in patients1. An application of a corrosion-resistant OXPEKK-SC coating would be expected to reduce the rate of implant deterioration. In the realm of surgical instrumentation, an OXPEKK-SC coating would be similarly expected to reduce deterioration rates, especially for those metal instruments that experience pitting and failure as a result of repeated cleaning and re-sterilization.

“The genesis of this technology goes back over 15 years when we made some important discoveries in a PEM fuel cell membrane project,” said Scott DeFelice, Chief Executive Officer of OPM. “We were thrilled to be notified of this new patent issue, which provides OPM with a broad market path as the leader in PEKK coatings and the ability to substantially improve the performance of orthopedic devices and the lifetime of surgical instrumentation across the entire industry.”

For industrial applications of OXPEKK-SC, OPM has ongoing developments with large glass and carbon fiber producers underway. Production quantities of this product are currently available.