Abstract:
THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF HIGH- OR LOW-DENSITY CARBON FOAM IS IMPROVED BY PROVIDING THE LATTER WITH A PROTECTIVE CARBONACEOUS COATING. THE PROTECTIVE COATING IS PROVIDED BY APPLYING TO EXPOSED SURFACES OF A CARBON FOAM STRUCTURE A MIXTURE OF GRAPHITE FLOUR AND A THERMOPLASTIC RESIN DISSOLVED IN A SUITABLE SOLVENT. THE COATING MIXTURE IS DRIED AT A RELATIVELY LOW TEMPERATURE TO REMOVE EXCESS SOLVENT AND THEN HEATED TO A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO CARBONIZE THE RESIN AND FORM THE COATING.