Reynolds Number Manipulation Of Mean Nanowire Lengths And Nanowire Suspension Quantification

A process has been developed for post fabrication manipulation of silica nanowire lengths with reproducible mean length target ability by manual grinding in liquid media. The process is based on the relationship between nanowire Reynolds number and the laminar or turbulent motion of nanowires in a media. Mean lengths of nanowires prepared by this process are predicted to be inversely proportional to the density over viscosity of the media used. Experimental results giving the mean length measurements are in very good agreement with the predicted dependence on medium density and viscosity. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3611423]