Effect of SiC nanowires on compression and thermal properties of SiC nanowires/lightweight carbon foam composites

Commonly, the lightweight carbon foam (LCF) derived from polymer foams possesses inherent large pores which significantly limit its application in thermal insulation. In this study, the SiC nanowires/lightweight carbon foam composites (SnwLCF) were prepared experimentally by depositing SiC nanowires on the three-dimensional skeletons of LCF through chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) process. The microstructure, compression property and thermal conductivity of the SnwLCF were investigated systematically. The results indicated that the macro-pores of LCF were divided by SiC nanowires, and many smaller pores were formed inside them. The divided pores were considered to be the key to improve the thermal insulation performance of LCF. Furthermore, the contents of SiC nanowires played an important role in the compression and thermal properties of the SnwLCF. Hence, this study had reference significance for the design and optimization of the porous thermal insulation materials.