High-electron-density polymer matrix

Applied Sciences, Inc. has, in the past few years, used the fixed catalyst fiber to fabricate and analyze VGCF-reinforced composites which could be candidate materials for thermal management substrates in high density, high power electronic devices and space power system radiator fins and high performance applications such as plasma facing components in experimental nuclear fusion reactors. These composites include carbon/carbon (CC) composites, polymer matrix composites, and metal matrix composites (MMC). Measurements have been made of thermal conductivity, coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), tensile strength, and tensile modulus. Representative results are described below. 

In transmission electron microscopy (TEM), a beam of electrons is passed through a thin sample, such that an image is formed as a result of absorption or diffraction contrast. In the case of polymers, a combination of disorder and radiation sensitivity means that, of these, absorption contrast is most important, in which case, high resolution images can be generated where image contrast is based on the spatial variation in electron density. In the case of materials such as nanocomposites, the distribution of the nanoparticles can therefore easily be imaged, as a result of the difference in the atomic number between the nanoparticles and the matrix polymer, as shown in Eig. 2.18. 

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