Carbon foam, also known as reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) foam, is a stiff, porous structure formed from a web of carbon atoms. It has attracted increasing attention from academic communities and industry because of its unique 3D porous structure and excellent performance, such as low density with high mechanical strength, high electrical conductivity, tailorable thermal conductivities, high adsorption, electromagnetic shielding, ablation resistance, and large surface area. Carbon foam is an enabling technology for a host of next-generation material systems and components. It can be used as the core material in a structural composite that makes ships more fireproof, as a firewall in airplanes and as energy absorbing structural components in automobiles. The foam material performs well in a marine environment.

Basic Parameters

Note: The other sizes can be manufactured in accordance with the clients'request.)

Special Properties

• Electrical Conductivity—Its porous structure provides both low electrical and low fluid flow resistance. Large current distribution areas are possible due to the enormous amount of surface area of the foam.
• Thermal conductivity—Low-temperature heat treatment versions of the material have thermal conductivities of less than 1.0W/mK, roughly equivalent to rock wool. When graphitized, conductivity is in the range of 70 W/mk approaching that of metals.
• Corrosion Resistance—Carbon foam is inert to a wide range of very reactive acids, bases, and organic solvents. At high temperatures it will form carbides, while it is inert to non-carbide forming metals.
• High carbon content—The high carbon content can ensure the high filtering efficiency, high absorption efficiency and high purification efficiency.

Applications

Carbon foams are 3D-structured porous materials that have been attracting increasing attention due to their versatile properties and wide range of applications. Typical applications are as follows:

• Flame Retardant Material

Carbon foam can meet the requirements of class A fire ratings, and along with the features of light weight, non-toxic, easy to operate and long life, it can be used as flame retardant material in places with high fire protection requirements, such as subway tunnel, library, computing center, chemical plant central control room, fire door sandwich materials, etc.

• Catalyst

With 3D-structure, carbon foams have potential applications in catalytic chemical reactions due to their large geometric surface areas and interconnected pores, which provide well-defined pathways allowing reactants to easily access active sites. Carbon foams can simplify the catalytic process and reduce the costs related to packed-bed or slurry catalytic material.

• Battery and Capacitor

Carbon foam is with the advantages of large specific surface area and high conductivity and in addition, the carbon foam possesses suitable interlayer spacing in short range which is flexible to accommodate the deformation of carbon layer caused by the ion insertion and deinsertion at the charge and discharge state. Thus, carbon foam can be used as the battery-type cathode and the capacitor-type anode.