Thermal properties of pitch-derived graphite foam

Abstract

Graphite foams make potentially desirable engineering materials because of their high thermal conductivity coupled with their low density. Compared to conventional thermal management materials, such as copper and aluminum, graphite foams have specific thermal conductivity values up to five times higher. A high specific thermal conductivity combined with relatively high specific strength make graphite foam an attractive material for use in thermal management applications. Other properties of graphite foam, such as a relatively low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), make the material dimensionally stable, and thus, well suited to thermal applications.

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