High-Temperature Conductor Materials Development for Aerospace Applications

Conductor materials for aerospace application should have low resistivity, low density, high strength, and ductility over the temperature range of application. Our work on the development of such materials has shown that the three most promising high-temperature conductors covering both oxidizing and nonoxidizing environments are zone-refined rhodium (< 1600°C), dispersion-hardened platinum (< 1500°C), and dispersion-hardened gold (< 900°C). Methods of producing and fabricating these high-temperature conductors are presented, together with their electrical and mechanical properties.