Abstract :

Copper electroplating was used to improve the thermo-mechanical properties of carbon foam. As the coating time increased, the pore size, foam porosity and specific surface area were altered. This dynamic process kept changing as a function of carbon microstructure and geometry. However, the final physical properties of the coated foam seem to depend mainly on the coating thickness. A numerical model was developed to determine the coating thickness and its distribution. The coating thickness was measured using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. A comparison of the mathematical model to the experimental measurements reveals that the model is capable of predicting the coating thickness inside carbon foam fairly well.