Large area vapor grown carbon fiber mat and its composite

Composites based on vapor grown carbon fiber (VGCF) mats having a very long length exceeding 25 cm in the fiber direction were fabricated and tested. Iron-based catalyst seeded ceramic substrates were used for the growth of the VGCF mats in a horizontal 6-in. tubular reactor. After 2800 °C heat treatment, the fiber mats were made into epoxy composites using a resin transfer molding process for characterizations and thermal tests. The composite has a density of 1.57 g/cc, a thermal conductivity of 510 W/m-K which is higher than that of copper, and a thermal resistance of 0.72 K/W.