Since the early 1980s, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has continued with research for the application of Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced Plastics (CFRP) in aircraft structures. Poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) is a thermoplastic resin that has recently attracted attention as a matrix for CFRP. PEEK is superior mainly in terms of strength, heat resistance and chemical resistance, but has a drawback of having poor adhesive properties. This report presents the destructive surface modifications of PEEK enabling stable adhesion that we developed jointly with each of Kobe University and Kyushu University. The application of these destructive surface modifications can reduce the cost and weight of CFRP structures.
