In this paper, several methods including HF, NaOH, TEOS, and PVP treatment were adopted to modify the wettability of silicon carbide (SiC) nanowires switching from hydrophobic to hydrophilic. The phase and microstructure investigated by XRD, FT-IR, XPS, TGA, SEM, and TEM demonstrated SiC nanowires switching from hydrophobic to hydrophilic due to the surface-tethered hydrophilic layer as well as increasing interspace between nanowires. Besides this, SiC nanowires with hydrophilicity may effectively improve the thermal conductivity of a fluid. The thermal conductivity of aqueous SiC nanowires after TEOS treatment with just 0.3 vol % was remarkably improved up to ca. 13.0%.

In this research, we demonstrate a simple route for preparing SiC@SiO2 core–shell nanocables and furthermore obtain SiC@SiO2 nanocables/MnO2 as hybrid electrodes for supercapacitors using various modified methods. The modified procedure consists of mild modifications using sodium hydroxide as well as UV light irradiation and deposition of MnO2. The morphology and microstructural characteristics of the composites are investigated using XRD, XPS, FE-SEM with EDS and TEM. The results indicate that the surfaces of modified SiC@SiO2 nanocables are uniformly coated with a MnO2 thin layer. The electrochemical behaviors of the hybrid electrodes are systematically measured in a three-electrode system using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge/discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The resultant electrode presents a superb charge storage characteristic with a large specific capacitance of 276.3 F g−1 at the current density of 0.2 A g−1. Moreover, the hybrid electrode also displays a long cycle life with a good capacitance retention (∼92.0%) after 1000 CV cycles, exhibiting a promising potential for supercapacitors.

Controllable synthesis of flexible ceramic whiskers at low cost remains a challenge despite their importance for many applications. In this work, a large-scale flexible SiC sponge has been successfully synthesized using carbon thermal reduction of gangue at 1500 °C for 2 h in an argon atmosphere by controlling the reaction atmosphere. The phase and microstructure investigated by XRD, SEM, TEM, and Raman spectroscopy revealed that the flexible SiC sponge was cubic single crystalline with a diameter of 100–500 nm and several millmeters in length. The good flexibility of SiC whiskers was attributed to their typical morphology of a straight line with a smooth surface. Besides this, another novel bamboo-like whisker consisting of twin transition and direct transformation also contributed to the flexibility of SiC whiskers. In addition, the sponge surface displays a good hydrophobicity. This provides SiC whiskers as a great promising candidate for the development of flexible illumination batteries and supercapacitors with high power and energy density.

In this research, we demonstrate a simple route for preparing SiC@SiO2 core–shell nanocables and furthermore obtain SiC@SiO2 nanocables/MnO2 as hybrid electrodes for supercapacitors using various modified methods. The modified procedure consists of mild modifications using sodium hydroxide as well as UV light irradiation and deposition of MnO2. The morphology and microstructural characteristics of the composites are investigated using XRD, XPS, FE-SEM with EDS and TEM. The results indicate that the surfaces of modified SiC@SiO2 nanocables are uniformly coated with a MnO2 thin layer. The electrochemical behaviors of the hybrid electrodes are systematically measured in a three-electrode system using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge/discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The resultant electrode presents a superb charge storage characteristic with a large specific capacitance of 276.3 F g−1 at the current density of 0.2 A g−1. Moreover, the hybrid electrode also displays a long cycle life with a good capacitance retention (∼92.0%) after 1000 CV cycles, exhibiting a promising potential for supercapacitors.