Fabrication of articles from nanowires

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016175933-A1
Application number	US-201514641653-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 9, 2015
Priority date	Mar 18, 2014
Publication date	Jun 23, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of fabricating an article includes providing an arrangement of loose nanowires and bonding the loose nanowires together into a unitary cellular structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of fabricating an article, the method comprising:
providing an arrangement of loose nanowires; and bonding the nanowires together into a unitary cellular structure.

2 . The method as recited in claim 1 , including, prior to the bonding, forming the loose nanowires into a geometry of an end-use article.

3 . The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein the forming of the loose nanowires into the geometry of the end-use article includes depositing successive layers of the nanowires.

4 . The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein the forming of the loose nanowires into the geometry includes depositing the loose nanowires into a mold.

5 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the nanowires are nickel or a nickel alloy.

6 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the arrangement of loose nanowires includes nanowires of differing compositions.

7 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the nanowires are a substantially pure metal.

8 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the nanowires are a ceramic material.

9 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the bonding includes thermal sintering or diffusion.

10 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the providing of the arrangement of loose nanowires includes forming metallic nanowires by wet chemical synthesis and then drying the metallic nanowires, to directly produce the metallic nanowires without reduction of an oxide of the metal of the metallic nanowires.

11 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the unitary cellular structure includes open cells, with a majority of the open cells having a maximum size of less than ten micrometers.

12 . The method as recited in claim 1 , including, before the bonding, consolidating the nanowires under pressure to alter pore size and shape.

13 . The method as recited in claim 1 , including conducting the bonding in an environment having a gas that reacts with the nanowires to alter the composition of the nanowires.

14 . A method of fabricating an article, the method comprising:
providing a dispersion of nanowires in a first carrier fluid; combining the dispersion with a solution including at least one alloy element in a second carrier fluid; removing the first carrier fluid and the second carrier fluid to provide an arrangement of dry, loose nanowires including the at least one alloy element; and bonding the dry, loose nanowires together into a unitary cellular structure.

15 . The method as recited in claim 14 , wherein at least a portion of the nanowires are metallic.

16 . The method as recited in claim 14 , wherein at least a portion of the nanowires are a substantially pure metal.

17 . The method as recited in claim 14 , wherein the at least one alloy element is selected from the group consisting of chromium, cobalt, molybdenum, tungsten, rhenium, tantalum, hafnium, yttrium, carbon, boron, zirconium, and combinations thereof.

18 . The method as recited in claim 14 , wherein the at least one alloy element is selected from the group consisting of cobalt, chromium, hafnium, yttrium, and combinations thereof.

19 . The method as recited in claim 14 , wherein the bonding includes thermal sintering.

20 . The method as recited in claim 14 , including, prior to the bonding, forming the dry, loose nanowires into a geometry of an end-use article.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Li Weina
• Birnkrant Michael J
• Sheedy Paul
• Beals James T
• Willigan Rhonda R
• Santana Jose L

Classifications

• B22F1/0547

  Nanofibres or nanotubes · CPC title

• B22F3/002 Primary

  Manufacture of articles essentially made from metallic fibres · CPC title

• C04B38/0041

  the particulate matter having preselected particle sizes · CPC title

• B22F3/11 Primary

  Making porous workpieces or articles · CPC title

• C04B38/0058

  open porosity · CPC title