Metal foam stabilization by copper-coated carbon fibers

Copper-coated carbon fibers were added to aluminum foam to stabilize metal films. Observation of the cell structure and the distribution of the fibers in the metal films shows that the stabilization is based not just on the presence of fibers but on both fibers and particles. The fibers act as mechanical barriers within the metal films, inducing a stronger stabilizing and disjoining pressure than particles. On the basis of these results, three stabilization models for aluminum/fibers are proposed.