Patent ID: 7758779

Claim:
A method for creating a reinforced resin-derived carbon foam material with improved properties, which comprises the steps of: a) providing a phenolic resin; b) adding carbon fiber to the phenolic resin to create a carbon fiber-phenolic resin mixture; c) foaming the carbon fiber-phenolic resin mixture to create a carbon fiber dispersed phenolic foam product; and d) carbonizing the carbon fiber dispersed phenolic foam product to create a reinforced carbon foam material having a compressive strength of at least about 2000 psi, the carbon foam having a pore distribution such that at least about 90% of the pore volume of the pores have a diameter of between about 10 and about 95 microns and at least about 1% of the pore volume of the pores have a diameter of between about 0.8 and about 3.5 microns, wherein the carbon foam has a liquid permeability of no greater than about 3.0 darcys.