Electrospinning 3C-SiC Mesoporous Fibers with High Purities and Well-Controlled Structures

The purity and uniformity issues with tunable structures are significant challenges for the fabrication of porous fibers. In the present work, we reported the fabrication of mesoporous SiC fibers via electrospinning of polyureasilazane and polyvinylpyrrolidone combined with subsequent high-temperature pyrolysis treatment. The resultant mesoporous fibers were systematically characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The contents of polyureasilazane within the solutions played a critically important role in the formation of mesoporous SiC fibers, enabling the well-controlled growth of the mesoporous SiC fibers. As compared to the reported works, the as-fabricated mesoporous fibers exhibit very uniform microstructures, very high purities, and highly defined fiber shapes with well-controlled structures, which could inspire and activate their potential applications in photocatalysts and catalyst supports.