Continuous SiC skeleton reinforced highly oriented graphite flake composites with high strength and specific thermal conductivity

Highly oriented graphite-based composites have attracted great attention because of their high thermal conductivity (TC), but the low mechanical properties caused by the inhomogeneous distribution and discontinuity of reinforcements restrict the wide applications. Herein, continuous SiC ceramic skeleton reinforced highly oriented graphite flake (SiC/GF) composites were successfully prepared by combining vacuum filtration and spark plasma sintering. The effect of SiC concentration on the microstructure, flexural strength, and thermophysical properties of the composites was investigated. The GF grains in the composites exhibited high orientation with a Lotgering factor of > 88% when the SiC concentration was <= 30 wt%, and the SiC skeleton became continuous with the SiC concentration reaching 20 wt%. The formation of continuous SiC skeleton improved the flexural strength of the composites effectively while keeping the TC in a high level. Especially, the composites with 30 wt% SiC exhibited the flexural strength up to 105 MPa, and the specific TC reaching 0.118 Wm(2).K-1.kg(-1). The composites with excellent flexural strength and thermophysical properties showed significant promise for thermal management applications.