Carbon Foam

Basics

• Essentially charcoal made from a airated/pourous material
• Anything from bread, to a celluloistic purpose made lattice, selected types of wood, machined wood, purpose formulated polymers, or a chemical reaction like those used in "Black Snake Fireworks" can be used as a source material
• Useful as an insulator or ablative material, may also have use as an electrode? need to test conductivity, but the high surface area would be useful, may make good substrate perhaps?
• Can also be used as a refractory material, although it ablates and thus falls apeart after long term use
• Precarbonisation is useful, but the core material doesn't neccisarily need to be
• It also, due to insulation and ablation, cools very quickly
• addition of baking soda also adds a useful effect according to nighthawkinflight's youtube video
• China Has Used Wooden Heat Shields for Atmospheric Reentry with their FSW Satellites using White Oak Wood, this wasn't precarbonised, or highly foamed, but uses a similar method

Internal Links

• Charcoal
• Biochar
• Ablative Material

External Links

• The Wikipedia Page on Starlite, a "secret" material that is rumored to be a similar concept
• The Wikipedia Page on The FSW Series of Chinese Satellites]
• NightHawkInflight's Video and Version/Replication of Starlite
• AvE's Bread Method
• A Video on China's Wood Heat Shields, with references in the description