SBIR Phase I: Microwave Processing of Carbon-Carbon Composites

小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将使用微波处理生产更高性能的碳/碳（C/C）复合材料。高性能C/C复合材料通常非常昂贵，因为使用化学蒸汽渗透技术需要大量的处理时间。在这个项目中，微波处理将用于产生温度梯度，其中核心将优先加热，以促进从内部到表面的致密化。微波处理也将使碳纳米管的生长不会引入导致强度下降的成分；研究碳纳米管在C/C复合材料中的原位生长，以制备更均匀、更高强度的C/C复合材料。低成本碳/碳复合材料的开发将使许多需要高性能摩擦部件的行业成为可能。随着碳纤维成本的不断上升，需要更低成本的加工技术来使材料更具成本效益。由于大部分输入能量直接耦合到样品中，使用微波减少了能源消耗，社会将从中受益。科学价值将来自对微波与不同材料的相互作用和适用性的理解。

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will use microwave processing to produce higher performance carbon/carbon (C/C) composites. High performance C/C composites are typically very expensive as chemical vapor infiltration techniques are used that require extensive processing times. In this project, microwave processing will be used to produce temperature gradients where the core will be preferentially heated to promote densification from the interior to the surface. Microwave processing will also enable the growth of carbon nanotubes without introducing components that lead to strength degradation; and the in-situ growth of carbon nanotubes within the C/C composites will be investigated to produce more uniform, higher strength C/C composites. The development of lower cost carbon/carbon composites would be enabling to a multitude of industries requiring high performance friction components. As the cost of carbon fibers is escalating, lower cost processing techniques are required to make materials more cost effective. Society will benefit as energy consumption is reduced using microwaves since most of the input energy is coupled directly into the sample. The scientific value will arise from an understanding of the interaction and applicability of microwaves with different materials.