Super-elastic carbon-bonded carbon fibre composites impregnated with carbon aerogel for high-temperature thermal insulation

A novel super-elastic carbon fibre composite was prepared by impregnating carbon aerogel into carbon-bonded carbon fibre (CBCF) through vacuum impregnation. The compressive strength of CBCF-CA was increased to 1.24 MPa in the z-direction, which was 6-fold more than that of neat CBCF. The CBCF-CA spontaneously recovered its size and shape without significant deformation when the pressure was released. The thermal conductivity of CBCF-CA was 0.246 W (m·K)−1 at 1400°C in the z-direction, which is lower than that of CBCF (0.341 W (m·K)−1). The average electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness of CBCF-CA composites in the range of 12.4–18 GHz was higher than 40 dB, suggesting an absorption-dominant shielding feature. The CBCF-CA composite will be a new multifunctional material due to its low density, low thermal conductivity, high specific strength, excellent processability, super-elastic property and high electromagnetic shielding, which can be used for thermal insulation and protection of aerospace.