Patent ID: 8623265

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a polymer foam composite, the method comprising: forming an article having a first surface and an opposite second surface from a precursor composition, the precursor composition comprising a polymer foam precursor composition, and a filler composition comprising a plurality of magnetic, electrically conductive particles; mechanically foaming the precursor composition to form a plurality of cells in precursor composition prior to forming the article; applying a magnetic field to the foamed precursor composition, wherein the magnetic field is of a strength and applied for a time effective to align the electrically conductive, magnetic particles into mutually isolated chains between the first surface and the opposite second surface of the article, wherein the foaming is substantially complete prior to applying the magnetic field; and solidifying the polymer foam precursor composition to provide the polymer foam composite having a density of about 1 to about 125 pounds per cubic foot and a volume resistivity of about 10 −3 ohm-cm to about 10 3 ohm-cm at a pressure of 60 pounds per square inch.