Effects of zirconium addition on microstructures and thermal conductivities of carbon/copper composites

Carbon (C)/copper (Cu)-based materials with high thermal conductivity and good stability at high temperatures were developed by adding a small amount of zirconium, which has a low enthalpy of alloy formation with C and Cu. The felt-type C/C composites, which were impregnated by Cu and zirconium, provided 1.4 times higher thermal conductivity at 1300 K than that of the original carbon materials. Microstructural analysis showed that the increase of thermal conductivity is due to the formation of zirconium compounds at the C/Cu interface. These carbon-based materials could be one of the candidate materials for the plasma-facing components of the fusion devices.