Engineering of Thermoset Infiltrated Carbon-Carbon Composites

Abstract

Carbon-Carbon composites are used in thermal insulation or protective shields for aerospace, numerous systems using ion beams, brakes, heat sinks, and heating elements. One strategy to prepare carbon-carbon-composites involves infiltrating a thermoset resin into porous graphite, followed by curing and pyrolysis to generate amorphous carbon filling the pores. As most of these approaches using this strategy involve petroleum-based resins and solvents, a more bio-sustainable, solvent-free approach is desirable. Here, a novel and bio-sustainable process for creating carbon-carbon composites from the infiltration, curing and pyrolysis of solvent free, liquid furfuryl alcohol resins was achieved. Conditions for infiltrating, curing, and pyrolyzing furfuryl alcohol resins were developed. Using a liquid resin significantly reduced the waste stream and increased the mass loading of resin into the porous graphite needed to afford the desired composite material. Scanning electron microscopic and Raman spectroscopic analyses of cross-sections of composite cylinders were used to ascertain the depth of penetration and degree of filling of the porosity in the graphite was assessed.