Silicon carbide nanowires as an electrode material for high temperature supercapacitors

Supercapacitors have attracted much attention for energy storage applications, owing to their long cycle life and high power densities. We report on the growth of silicon carbide (SiC) nanowires (NW) and the evaluation of their performance as electrode material for micro-supercapacitors. Their specific capacitance has been studied as a function of their morphology (size, diameter) and the optimal growth conditions have lead to a capacitance comparable to the state of the art. They exhibit an exceptional stability, with a lifetime exceeding 10⁶ charge/discharge cycles. An excellent thermal stability is expected for SiC NWs, opening the way to the fabrication of high temperature micro-supercapacitors.