Pore sealing pastes for porous materials

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein use innovative pastes to fill surface pores (cavities) and flatten (planarize) surfaces of porous materials. A method for making a heat transfer apparatus comprises making a paste comprising particles of a first heat transfer material, a vehicle, and a binder, filling cavities on an external surface of a second heat transfer material with the paste, and drying the paste filled in the cavities so that an external, surface of the dried paste in a cavity is substantially planar with the external surface of the second heat transfer material.

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         9 . An energy transfer apparatus comprising a first energy transfer material, wherein cavities on an external surface of the first energy transfer material are filled with a dried paste comprising a second energy transfer material and a binder suitable for making the paste. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 9 , wherein the first energy transfer material is a graphitic carbon matrix. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 9 , wherein the first energy transfer material is a porous ceramic material. 
     
     
         12 . file apparatus as recited in  claim 9 , wherein the second energy transfer material is the same as the first energy transfer material. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 9 , wherein the second energy transfer material is graphite powders. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 9 , wherein the second energy transfer material is metal particles. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 9 , wherein the second energy transfer material is ceramic powders. 
     
     
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         25 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 9 , wherein the energy is thermal energy. 
     
     
         26 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 9 , wherein the dried paste comprises particles of a same composition as the first energy transfer material, and a binder suitable for creating the paste. 
     
     
         27 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 26 , wherein the first transfer material is a porous graphite, and the particles are graphite powders. 
     
     
         28 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 27 , wherein the binder comprises lithium polysilicate. 
     
     
         29 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 27 , wherein the binder comprises polyphenyl silsesquioxane. 
     
     
         30 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 27 , wherein a ratio of the particles to binder is about 1:2 wt %. 
     
     
         31 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 9 , further comprising a second energy transfer material having a planar surface in physical contact with the external surface of the first energy transfer material. 
     
     
         32 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 12 , further comprising a third energy transfer material having a planar surface in physical contact with the external surface of the first energy transfer material. 
     
     
         33 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 26 , wherein the first energy transfer material has a density of about 1.75 g/cm 3  and a thermal conductivity of about 300 W/mK. 
     
     
         34 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 26 , wherein the first energy transfer material has a density of about 1.80 g/cm 3  and a thermal conductivity of about 350 W/mK. 
     
     
         35 . A heat transfer apparatus comprising a first heat transfer material, wherein pores in the first heat transfer material are filled with a dried paste obtained from a composition comprising particles of the first heat transfer material, a vehicle, and a binder. 
     
     
         36 . The heat transfer apparatus as recited in  claim 35 , wherein a source of the particles of the first heat transfer material is the first heat transfer material. 
     
     
         37 . The heat transfer apparatus as recited in  claim 36 , wherein the first heat transfer material is a graphitic carbon.