Patent ID: 7939046

Claim:
A process for producing a microorous graphite foam having an average pore size in the range from about 0.1 to about 10 microns and a void fraction in the range from about 80% to about 95% comprising: providing a plurality of graphite fibers; mixing the graphite fibers with a graphite-forming precursor to form a mixture with an initial matrix having interstitial the spaces; compressing the mixture to reduce size of the of the interstitial spaces in the mixture and to define a shape of the matrix and of the microporous, graphite foam; forming a precursor matrix comprising the plurality of graphite fibers and the graphite-forming precursor, wherein the plurality of graphite fibers are intertwined and the plurality of graphite fibers are held together at intersections defined by contact points therebetween by the graphite-forming precursor, the plurality of graphite fibers and the graphite-forming precursor defining interstitial spaces within the foam structure in the precursor matrix; first heating the matrix to a temperature at which the graphite-forming precursor is carbonized, forming a carbonized matrix; and second heating the carbonized matrix to a temperature at which the carbonized graphite-forming precursor is graphitized, forming the microporous graphite foam, wherein the microporous graphite foam includes pores defined by a matrix of the plurality of intertwined graphite fibers joined and held together at the intersections of the graphite fibers by the graphitized graphite-forming precursor, and the microporous graphite foam has an average pore size in the range from about 0.1 to about 10 microns and a void fraction in the range from about 80% to about 95%.