The netlike and curved beta-SiC nanostructures were synthesized by the carbothermal reduction of the carbonaceous silica xerogel, in which tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and phenolic resin were used to prepare a carbonaceous silica xerogel and magnesium nitrate was employed as additive. The products were obtained by heating the xerogel at 1300 degrees C for 6 h in argon flow (200 ml/min). The products mainly consist of netlike beta-sic nanostructures and curved beta-SiC nanowires. The netlike SiC nanostructures have a novel pore structure of lotus root, and the diameter of circular hole is 500-1000 nm. The curved p-sic nanowires have a diameter of 300-500 nm and a length of hundreds microns. The photoluminescence (PL) spectrum of netlike and curved beta-sic nanostructures at room temperature shows three emission peaks at 486 nm, 494 nm and 503 nm, which may be due to the effect of the morphology, size confinement effects and the oxygen vacancy in the amorphous SiO2, respectively. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.