A method of making a carbon nanopipe and ensemble of carbon nanopipes, comprising the steps of flowing a carbon precursor over silica fibers and thereby depositing a durable graphitizable carbon coating of tunable thickness of about 10-500 nm onto the silica fibers and etching away the silica fibers to yield a three-dimensional mat of electronically networked, hollow carbon tubules. A carbon nanopipe comprising a durable graphitizable carbon wall of tunable thickness of about 10-500 nm formed by exposing a silica fiber network to a carbon precursor vapor and thereby depositing a carbon film onto the silica fiber network at a temperature suitable for complete pyrolysis of the carbon precursor and removing the silica fibers.