Lightweight PEEK-based aerogel for high-temperature insulation
This technology creates a new class of ultra-lightweight, high-performance aerogels made from PEEK or PEKK — two of the toughest engineering plastics used in aerospace, medical, and industrial applications. The key innovation is a process that dissolves these normally very difficult-to-process polymers using a safer, environmentally friendlier solvent, then gels and dries them into porous foam-like structures. The resulting aerogels combine the exceptional thermal resistance and chemical durability of PAEK plastics with the low density and insulating properties of aerogel architecture. The method also extends to 3D printing these gels, enabling complex custom shapes.
What you could build
Lightweight PEEK-based aerogel sheets, blocks, or 3D-printed components for thermal insulation in aerospace interiors, satellite structures, or high-temperature industrial equipment — sold to aerospace OEMs, defense suppliers, and advanced manufacturing firms that already specify PEEK for demanding environments.
Who in Virginia should care
Defense and aerospace primes and suppliers in Northern Virginia and the Hampton Roads corridor — including contractors supporting NASA Langley and naval programs — routinely specify high-performance polymers for thermal management and lightweight structures.
Readiness: Lab validated
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Robert Bowen MOORE, Glenn Allen SPIERING, Michelle Elizabeth POMATTO
- Filed
- Patent pending — filed September 5, 2025
- Status
- Application
- Publication number
- US20260062530A1
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.