Lightweight carbon-bonded carbon fiber composites prepared by pressure filtration technique

Carbon-bonded carbon fiber composites were produced by a simple pressure filtration technique. This method consists of dispersing carbon fibers and phenolic resin to make a slurry and then pressing the water out through a filter cloth, and finally carbonizing the composites at 1000 C in nitrogen. A homogeneous microstructure without agglomeration and layering was achieved. The compressive strength ranged from 0.2 to 1.1 MPa for different densities. The thermal conductivity for the composites of 0.23 g cm^-3 was 0.2-0.43 and 0.11-0.35 W m^-1 K^-1 for the directions perpendicular and parallel to the pressure, respectively, at 25-1300 C.