Effects of titanium addition on the microstructure of carbon/copper composite materials

Carbon(C)/copper(Cu)-based materials with high thermal conductivity and good stability at high temperatures were developed by adding a small amount of titanium, which has a low enthalpy of alloy formation with C and Cu. The isotropic fine-grained nuclear grade graphite and felt type C/C composite, which were impregnated by Cu and titanium, provided 1.3 times higher thermal conductivity at 1200 K than the original carbon materials. Microstructural analysis showed that the increase of thermal conductivity is due to the formation of titanium compounds at the C/Cu interface. These carbon-based materials could be a candidate material for the plasma facing components of fusion devices.