Fabrication and mechanical properties of porous tantalum carbon composites by chemical vapor deposition

Abstract This study investigates the deposition of tantalum (Ta) coatings on carbon foams using the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method to enhance their compressive strength. Two types of open-cell carbon foams, CF-1 and CF-2, with different strut diameters, were examined. The morphology and uniformity of the coatings were characterized, and the effect of coating thickness on the compressive strength of the foams was systematically analyzed. An empirical model was proposed and successfully validated, showing that the compressive strength is proportional to the coating thickness and the square of the strut diameter. The experimental results demonstrate that considering mass transfer and reaction kinetics can significantly improve the uniformity of coatings on larger substrates. Furthermore, the Ta coatings significantly increased the compressive strength of the foams, with the relationship between compressive strength, coating thickness, and strut diameter being in good agreement with the predictions of the proposed model. The study highlights the potential of tailored metallic coatings to enhance the mechanical properties of porous materials while maintaining their lightweight characteristics, emphasizing the importance of optimizing coating parameters for large-scale applications.