This dataset identifies 104 patent families published between 2015 and mid-2026 whose claims touch thermal stability, wear durability, creep resistance or long-term reliability for polyetheretherketone. Filing activity peaked in 2020 at 19 families and has since declined, with only 4 recorded in the partial 2026 year. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the most recent one to two years will always understate true filing volume.

Polymer-composition claims under IPC class C08L appear in 75 of the 104 families, making resin formulation the densest part of the landscape by a wide margin. Processing routes (C08J) and condensation chemistry (C08G) each sit around 42-43 families, still substantial but well behind composition. Application-layer classes such as laminates, adhesives, seals and insulated conductors each register only in the single or low double digits, making them comparatively open ground.

The application-layer IPC classes — B32B laminates, C09J adhesives, F16J seals and gaskets, and H01B insulated conductors — carry noticeably fewer filings than the core composition classes, which is a reasonable signal of under-claimed territory. That said, low counts can also mean relevant claims are filed under composition codes instead of the application code, so any white-space thesis should be checked against the actual family text before committing a filing strategy. Creep-resistance test methodology under G01N3 is a further area worth checking directly, since testing-method claims are often filed separately from the material claims themselves.

The strongest collaborative link in this dataset is a co-assignee pair between a specialty polymer supplier and a composite-materials company, appearing together across 10 shared families — the single largest co-filing relationship recorded. A second, smaller cluster links oilfield research and technology-holding entities, pointing to downhole tooling and high-temperature sealing applications. Notably, none of the leading assignees tracked for recent-year momentum recorded a filing in the latest year, suggesting the field's most active filers are holding existing positions rather than expanding them.

GB2519657A, assigned to Victrex Manufacturing Limited and filed in 2015, claims a specific polycondensation process for PEEK using a single primary monomer (FHPB) with a controlled small addition of a second monomer (BDF) to manage polymerisation rate and end-cap the chain, producing PEEK within defined Tm (333-337°C) and Tg (142-144°C) ranges. It blocks that specific process route and the resulting narrow thermal-property window, not PEEK chemistry generally. Anyone working with a different monomer combination, solvent system or targeting a materially different Tm/Tg window sits outside its core claims, though a full freedom-to-operate check should compare claim language directly rather than relying on the abstract.