Multifunctional porous SiC nanowire scaffolds

Porous SiC nanowire (SiCNW) ceramics have great potentials for engineering applications. We herein report the fabrication of 3D SiCNW scaffolds with tuneable microstructures, densities, and therefore properties, by regulating the solid loading content in the reticulated melamine foam (MF) template and finalizing with a modified carbothermal reaction. We first demonstrate the resulting samples exhibiting high strength (modulus up to ∼167.3 kPa), good recoverability (11% residual strain and 72% maximum stress after 100 compressive cycles at a ε = 20%), low thermal conductivity of 32−54 mW m−1 K−1 at room temperature, and good fire retardance performance. We further show that these unique and tuneable SiCNW scaffolds could act as efficient organic solvent/oil absorbent, as excellent support for MOF-derived TiO2-C catalyst to achieve enhanced photocatalytic performance, and as competent electromechanical strain sensors. These multifunctionalities could find niche applications in energy and environment devices.