FABRICATION OF ARTICLES FROM NANOWIRES

• US 20160175933A1
• Filed: 03/09/2015
• Published: 06/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rtx Corporation
• Original Assignee: United Technologies Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Li, Weina, Birnkrant, Michael J., Sheedy, Paul, Beals, James T., Willigan, Rhonda R., Santana, Jose L.
• Granted Patent: US 10,232,441 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 and bonding the loose nanowires together into a unitary cellular structure.

Claims

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.