Green preparation of 3D large-sized SiC nanowire aerogels

Abstract Due to the combination of ultralow density, high thermal insulation, high-temperature resistance and good chemical stability, SiC aerogels show considerable potential for applications even in harsh conditions. However, the difficulty and cost involved in manufacturing them in large sizes severely limited their practical applications. Herein, we developed a green and economic method for fabrication of 3D large-sized SiC nanowire aerogels using Si powder as silicon source and bread as template as well as carbon source. The prepared SiC nanowire aerogel possesses ultralow density, large size, excellent high-temperature stability, and low thermal conductivity (0.038 W m−1 K−1 at 200 °C in air).