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AssigneeAuburn University
InventorsBruce J. Tatarchuk, Millard F. Rose, Gopal A. Krishnagopalan, John N. Zabasajja, David A. Kohler
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A new class of composites results from a matrix of fibers, such as fibers of carbon, alumina, ceramics, and aluminosilicates, interwined in a network of fused metal fibers. The composites can be fabricated to have varying surface area, void volume, and pore size while maintaining high electrical conductivity. Composites are readily prepared from a preform of a dispersion of the metal fibers, other fibers, and an organic binder such as cellulose, by heating the preform at a temperature sufficient to fuse the metal fibers and to volatilize at least 90% of the binder. Where a carbon fiber is used, the metal fibers are fused at a temperature causing a loss of less than about 25%, and usually under 15%, by weight of carbon fiber.
A method of making a composite comprising the steps of forming a dispersion comprising carbon fibers, metal fibers, and cellulose in an unreactive liquid medium, collecting the resulting wet dispersion, removing the unreactive liquid medium from the wet dispersion to afford a dried preform, heating the dried preform in an atmosphere containing hydrogen at a temperature effective to volatilize at least 90 weight percent of the cellulose and fuse the metal fibers, with a weight loss of under about 25 weight percent of carbon fibers, and recovering the resultant composite.
A method of making an article having a network of a first fiber and at least one second fiber, where at least said first fiber has a plurality of bonded junctions at the first fiber crossing points and said second fiber is interlocked in the network of bonded first fibers, said method comprising the steps of forming a dispersion in an unreactive liquid, said dispersion comprising the first and the second fibers, and at least one structure forming agent selected from the group consisting of cellulose, polyvinyl alcohol, polyurethanes, styrene-butadiene latex, epoxy resins, urea-formaldehyde resins, and polyamide-polyamine epichlorohydrin resins, collecting a wet dispersion, removing the unreactive liquid from the wet dispersion to afford a preform, treating the preform to effect bonding of at least the first fibers at a plurality of the first fiber junctions, removing at least 90 weight percent of the structure forming agent, and recovering the article.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.