Potential foams and metal foils for cosmic dust capture

The scientific detection of cosmic dust particles will provide information about their astrophysical source and velocity. A suitable capture medium will preserve the particles in such a state (not necessarily the state just before capture) that their intrinsic chemical, mineral, and/or biological information can be determined. Foam and stacked, thin foil arrays provide the best current technology for effecting this capture. This paper presents physical and chemical data about a number of commercial and experimental foams and metal foils that could potentially be used to capture cosmic dust particles. The most promising foams are polystyrene-based: bead, extruded, and emulsion-polymerized. The most promising foils are those made of beryllium, aluminum, or gold.