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The new composite developed by NASA incorporates PGS and CNTs to enhance its thermal conductivity while preserving the mechanical properties of the underlying carbon fiber polymer composite. NASA has also improved the composite manufacturing process to ensure better thermal conductivity not only on the surface, but also through the thickness of the material. This was achieved by adding perforations that enable the additives to spread through the composite. The process for developing this innovative, highly thermally conductive hybrid carbon fiber polymer composite involves several steps. Firstly, a CNT-doped polymer resin is prepared to improve the matrix's thermal conductivity, which is then infused into a carbon fiber fabric. Secondly, PGS is treated to enhance its mechanical interface with the composite. Thirdly, perforation is done on the pyrolytic graphite sheet to improve the thermal conductivity through the thickness of the material by allowing CNT-doped resin to flow and better interlaminar mechanical strength. Finally, the layup of PGS and CNT-CF polymer is optimized. Initial testing of the composite has shown significant increases in thermal conductivity compared to typical carbon fiber composites, with a more than tenfold increase. The composite also has higher thermal conductivity than aluminum alloys, with more than twice the thermal conductivity of the Aluminum 6061 typically used in the aerospace industry. For this new material, NASA has completed a proof-of-concept demonstration and work continues to use the material in a heat exchanger system and further characterize the properties including longevity and radiation impact analysis.

This technology uses a layered architecture that couples two complementary mechanisms. Polymer aerogels, with extremely small pores and high surface area, create tortuous pathways that dissipate structure-borne vibration (damping). Open-cell melamine foam captures airborne sound through viscous and elastic losses in the cellular network (absorption). By varying layer order, thickness, and chemistry, the composite becomes a tunable gradient system and can be designed for specific vibro-acoustic signatures, such as targeted frequency bands and mixed noise/vibration environments. Configurations can include melamine foam, compressed melamine, and melamine/aerogel sub-layers to balance absorption and damping in a single, thin envelope. Beyond acoustic performance, the aerogel component contributes low thermal conductivity. This enables insulation that reduces mass and volume while improving thermal management in panels, liners, and enclosure inserts and it integrates readily with existing structures as bonded or mechanically fastened layers. The layers can range from small samples to large panels for system-level installations. The technology has been validated from small test pieces to 8-foot panels where the layered composite can be tuned via stack order, thickness, and compression (melamine, compressed melamine, melamine/aerogel) to target specific frequency bands while retaining low thermal conductivity and low mass. This technology is assessed at TRL 6 and is available for patent licensing.