Innovative MoC – graphite composite for thermal management and thermal shock applications

Innovative collimators are being investigated to handle the high energy particle beams foreseen in future upgrades of CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). This calls for the development of novel advanced materials, as no existing metal- or carbon-based material possesses the combination of physical, thermal, electrical and mechanical properties, imposed by extreme collimator's working conditions. An ambitious research program has been undertaken at CERN and collaborating partners to investigate, process and characterize novel composite materials. A promising new family of materials has been identified in metal/ceramiccarbon composites: these are intended to combine optimum mechanical, thermal and electrical properties, such as mechanical strength, melting temperature, thermal shock resistance, electrical conductivity, and energy absorption. Besides High Energy Physics equipment, these materials are of particular interest for thermal management applications such as high power density electronic packaging, aerospace, automotive, nuclear fusion and solar energy. With that in mind, this paper aims at discussing the properties of investigated materials with respect to their relevance for the various application domains.