Silicon-Carbide Foam

GOODFELLOW — a developer of metals, polymers, ceramics and other materials — is offering a silicon-carbide (SiC) foam material for applications involving filtration, heat shielding, heat exchange, and other applications. The developer noted it provides “the exceptional hardness, high-temperature durability and performance of solid silicon carbide” in a lightweight and versatile foam structure. It added that this combination of properties is valuable in industries like aerospace, defense and semiconductor manufacturing.

The developer explained that the matrix of cells and ligaments in silicon carbide foam is completely repeatable, regular, and uniform throughout the material, resulting in a rigid, highly porous and permeable structure with a controlled density of metal per unit volume. Amont the characteristics of SiC foam, Goodfellow noted it offers “exceptional hardness” (Mohs 9) that helps it to resist scratches, wear, and corrosion; structural stability at high temperatures, up to 2,200°C; and high thermal and electrical conductivity, in contrast to most other ceramics.

In addition, SiC foam maintains low thermal expansion, for good thermal shock resistance; a high surface area-to-volume ratio (i.e., very lightweight); and low flow resistance, for high filtration efficiency

The combination of SiC toughness and foam’s porosity/high surface area can be put to good effect in high-temperature filters, high-temperature fuel (rocket) nozzles, heat shielding elements, heat exchangers, gas diffusers, porous electrodes, and absorbers of electromagnetic radiation.

Goodfellow offers its silicon carbide foam in a standard pore size of 24 pores per centimeter (60 ppi), with a bulk density of 0.29 g.cm^-3, a porosity of 91%, and a thickness of 10mm. Other porosities, densities and dimensions may be available upon request.

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