Reinforced resin-derived carbon foam

• Main Authors: SHAO RICHARD L, MILLER DOUGLAS J, LEWIS IRWIN C, YAZICI MEHMET S
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 05.07.2007
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F,C08G; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CARBONFILAMENTS; ARTIFICIAL STONE; CEMENTS; CERAMICS; CHEMICAL FEATURES IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS,THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES OR RIBBONS; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF, e.g. MORTARS, CONCRETE OR LIKE BUILDINGMATERIALS; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; CONCRETE; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; INORGANIC CHEMISTRY; LIME, MAGNESIA; MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED OTHERWISE THAN BY REACTIONSONLY INVOLVING UNSATURATED CARBON-TO-CARBON BONDS; METALLURGY; NATURAL OR ARTIFICIAL THREADS OR FIBRES; NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; REFRACTORIES; SLAG; SPINNING; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ARTCOLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TEXTILES; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; TREATMENT OF NATURAL STONE; WORKING-UP

A reinforced carbon foam material is formed from carbon fibers incorporated within a carbon foam's structure. First, carbon fiber bundles are combined with a liquid resol resin. The carbon fiber bundles separate into individual carbon fiber filaments and disperse throughout the liquid resol resin. Second, the carbon fiber resin mixture is foamed thus fixing the carbon fibers in a permanent spatial arrangement within the phenolic foam. The foam is then carbonized to create a carbon fiber reinforced foam with improved graphitic characteristics as well as increased strength. Optionally, various additives can be introduced simultaneously with the addition of the carbon fiber bundles into the liquid resol, which can improve the graphitic nature of the final carbon foam material and/or increase the foam's resistance to oxidation.