Large-scale fabrication and characterization of SiC nanowire thermal insulation paper by a traditional handcraft paper-making process

SiC nanowire paper composed of SiC nanowires, possesses extensive industrial applications owing to its remarkable properties of low thermal conductivity , fire resistance and foldability. In this work, centimeter-scale SiC nanowires were successfully synthesized via a sol-gel and carbothermal reduction reaction. Subsequently, the simple and convenient traditional handcraft paper-making process enables the non-oriented intertwining of nanowires, forming a paper-like structure. Experimental results show that the thermal conductivity of silicon carbide nanowire paper with a thickness of 0.7 mm is 0.041 W/m∙K at room temperature, which is far lower than that of the traditional porous ceramics because of its nanoporous structure. Moreover, upon heating the nanowire paper to 300 °C, a significant temperature difference of approximately 150 °C was observed between its front and back surfaces, and it was able to withstand the butane flame (∼1300 °C) heat treatment for a long time, which indicated that the nanowire paper had obvious low thermal conductivity, good thermal insulation and refractory properties. These characteristics ensure the promising application of SiC nanowire paper for thermal insulation and fire resistance applications.