Thermophysical properties of SiC/Al composites with three dimensional interpenetrating network structure

Silicon carbide (SiC) reinforced aluminum composites with three dimensional interpenetrating network structure (3D-SiC/Al) were fabricated by the gas pressure infiltration method, and their thermophysical properties were investigated. The results show that the geometry of SiC reinforcement has a significant impact on the thermophysical properties of the composites. Continuous SiC reinforced aluminum composites (3D-SiC/Al) have higher thermal conductivities and lower coefficients of thermal expansion (CETs) than those of particulate SiC reinforced aluminum composites (SiCp /Al) with the same SiC volume fraction. The co-continuous structures of both the SiC reinforcement and the Al matrix in 3D-SiC/Al can be the reason behind this phenomena. As a result, when SiC volume fraction values were the same, 3D-SiC/Al composites will be more suitable for electronic packaging applications comparing with SiCp/Al composite.