Agglomerate reduction in a nanowire suspension stored in a container

Abstract

Methods and articles of manufacture for storage and shipping of nanowires are disclosed. One disclosed method includes: (a) providing a nanowire suspension including nanowires suspended in a liquid; and (b) disposing the nanowire suspension in a container for storage and shipping, where the container is configured to inhibit agglomeration of nanowires from the nanowire suspension.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An article of manufacture comprising:
 a storage container; and   a nanowire suspension disposed in the storage container, wherein the nanowire suspension includes nanowires suspended in a liquid, and the storage container includes a wall that is formed of, or coated with, a fluorinated polymer.   
     
     
         2 . The article of manufacture of  claim 1 , wherein the fluorinated polymer is polytetrafluoroethylene. 
     
     
         3 . The article of manufacture of  claim 1 , wherein the fluorinated polymer is ethylene tetrafluoroethylene. 
     
     
         4 . The article of manufacture of  claim 1 , wherein the fluorinated polymer is fluorinated ethylene propylene. 
     
     
         5 . The article of manufacture of  claim 1 , wherein a head space of the storage container is sized to inhibit evaporation of the liquid from the nanowire suspension. 
     
     
         6 . The article of manufacture of  claim 1 , wherein the storage container is configured with an adjustable head space. 
     
     
         7 . The article of manufacture of  claim 6 , wherein the storage container includes a moveable plunger sized and shaped to fit an internal cross-section of the storage container, and the nanowire suspension is confined to a volume between the moveable plunger and an opening of the storage container. 
     
     
         8 . The article of manufacture of  claim 1 , wherein the nanowire suspension includes silver nanowires suspended in the liquid. 
     
     
         9 . An article of manufacture comprising:
 a storage container; and   a nanowire suspension disposed in the storage container, wherein the nanowire suspension includes silver nanowires suspended in a liquid, and the storage container includes a wall formed of, or coated with, a material that is at least one of: (1) resistant to adhesion of silver nanowires from the nanowire suspension; and (2) resistant to wetting by the liquid.   
     
     
         10 . The article of manufacture of  claim 9 , wherein the wall of the storage container is formed of, or coated with, a fluorinated polymer. 
     
     
         11 . The article of manufacture of  claim 10 , wherein the fluorinated polymer is selected from polytetrafluoroethylene, fluorinated ethylene propylene, and ethylene tetrafluoroethylene. 
     
     
         12 . The article of manufacture of  claim 9 , wherein a head space of the storage container is sized to inhibit evaporation of the liquid from the nanowire suspension. 
     
     
         13 . The article of manufacture of  claim 9 , wherein the storage container is configured with an adjustable head space. 
     
     
         14 . The article of manufacture of  claim 13 , wherein the storage container includes a moveable plunger sized and shaped to fit an internal cross-section of the storage container, and the nanowire suspension is confined to a volume between the moveable plunger and an opening of the storage container. 
     
     
         15 . A method of storing silver nanowires, comprising:
 providing a nanowire suspension including silver nanowires suspended in a liquid; and   disposing the nanowire suspension in a container for storage, wherein the container includes a wall formed of, or coated with, a material that is at least one of: (1) resistant to adhesion of silver nanowires from the nanowire suspension; and (2) resistant to wetting by the liquid.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising adjusting a head space of the container. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the wall of the container is formed of, or coated with, a fluorinated polymer. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the fluorinated polymer is selected from polytetrafluoroethylene, fluorinated ethylene propylene, and ethylene tetrafluoroethylene. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising adjusting a head space of the container, and wherein the wall of the container is formed of, or coated with, a fluorinated polymer. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein disposing the nanowire suspension in the container is performed subsequent to synthesis of the silver nanowires in the nanowire suspension.