Graphitic Carbon Foam Structural Cores and Multifunctional Applications

Graphitic carbon foams include a family of material forms and products with mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties that are tailor-able over a wide range. They also have high temperature capability, fluid compatibility, and corrosion resistance in select extreme environments, rendering them an enabling materials technology for giant leaps in performance of exploration hardware as well as terrestrial applications. Originally investigated and produced for structural applications, graphitic carbon foams with high thermal conductivity have been implemented in thermal management applications, especially cooling for electronics and smoothing of pulse-power resistive heating.  By integrating the graphitic foams into the structural core of multifunctional composites through innovative design for manufacturing processes, next-level performance gains may be realized and double-digit mass savings percentages achieved.

Project will procure available graphite foam products in small quantities, perform testing, and build simple prototype designs. Several specific applications have been identified in thermal management systems, energy storage, and multifunctional structures that will require continued collaborative engineering between divisions to develop.  Working groups are being established to pursue small efforts in each area.  Materials processing on as-received foams to enable engineering designs as well as techniques to produce foams with specific desirable properties are being studied.