Super thin graphite heat shield

Panasonic has managed to shrink its graphite heat shields to a mere 10μm (microns) thick. (Size comparison: A human red blood cell is 5μm across.) At one-one-hundred-thousandth of a meter, this shield is the world's thinnest.

The previous version of these graphite shields measured in at a relatively husky 17μm thick. Panasonic managed to shed 7μm through an improved manufacturing process that involves a carefully controlled heat treatment. And while the material is remarkably thin, it still boasts a thermal conductivity rating—a measurement of how efficiently it's able to dissipate heat—of 1,950W/mK, roughly ten times that of aluminum.

Source: gizmodo.comAdded: 8 October 2012