Fabrication of articles from nanowires

• US 10,232,441 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2015
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rtx Corporation
• Original Assignee: United Technologies Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Li, Weina, Birnkrant, Michael J., Sheedy, Paul, Beals, James T., Willigan, Rhonda R., Santana, Jose L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Colleen P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wang, Nicholas A
• Application Number:
  US14/641,653
• Publication Number:
  US 20160175933A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,471 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 1/0545 Dispersions or suspensions of nanosized particles
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 1/0547 Nanofibres or nanotubes
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2201/013 Hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2998/10 Processes characterised by the sequence of their steps
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2999/00 Aspects linked to processes or compositions used in powder metallurgy
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 3/002 Manufacture of articles essentially made from metallic fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 3/1007 Atmosphere B22F3/1021 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 3/11 Making porous workpieces or articles
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 5/009 of turbine components other than turbine blades of turbine blades B22F5/04
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 5/04 of turbine blades
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 9/24 starting from liquid metal compounds, e.g. solutions
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/428 Silicon
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/522 Oxidic
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/5252 having a specific pre-form
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/62231 based on oxide ceramics
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/62236 Fibres based on aluminium oxide
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/62272 based on non-oxide ceramics carbon nanotubes C01B32/15; carbon fibers D01F9/12
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/62281 based on silicon carbide C04B35/571 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 38/0041 the particulate matter having preselected particle sizes
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 38/0058 open porosity

Abstract

A method of fabricating an article includes providing an arrangement of loose nanowires, forming the loose nanowires into a gas turbine engine airfoil by depositing the loose nanowires into a mold that has a geometry of the gas turbine engine airfoil, and bonding the loose nanowires together into a unitary cellular structure that has the geometry of the gas turbine engine airfoil.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating an article, the method comprising:

providing a dispersion of nickel nanowires in a first carrier fluid;

combining the dispersion with a solution including at least one alloy element in a second carrier fluid, wherein the at least one alloy element is selected from the group consisting of hafnium, yttrium, and combinations thereof;

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;

diffusing the at least one alloying element into the nickel nanowires to form nickel alloy nanowires; and

bonding the dry, loose nanowires together into a unitary cellular structure.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the providing of the nickel nanowires includes forming the nickel nanowires by wet chemical synthesis without reduction of an oxide of the nickel of the nickel nanowires.

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

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

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one alloy element is selected from the group consisting of rhenium, tantalum, hafnium, yttrium, zirconium, and combinations thereof.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the bonding includes thermal sintering.

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

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the forming of the loose nanowires includes depositing successive layers of the nanowires.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, including forming the loose nanowires into a gas turbine engine airfoil by depositing the loose nanowires into a mold that has a geometry of the gas turbine engine airfoil followed by the bonding of the loose nanowires together into the unitary cellular structure that has the geometry of the gas turbine engine airfoil.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the dispersion of nickel nanowires in the first carrier fluid additionally includes elemental metal nanowires wherein the elemental metal is different than nickel.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the dispersion of nickel nanowires in the first carrier fluid additionally includes ceramic nanowires.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the dispersion of nickel nanowires in the first carrier fluid additionally includes ceramic nanowires.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the dispersion of nickel nanowires in the first carrier fluid additionally includes aluminide nanowires.