3D SnO2 nanoflowers on Ti foil have been synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method without using any surfactant or catalyst. The synthesized 3D SnO2 nanostructures are characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The FESEM results showed that the nanoflower consists of multiple nanopetals of width ∼5nm and each SnO2 nanoflower is ∼3μm in diameter. The time-dependent morphology evolution of SnO2 nanoflowers was studied in detail, and a possible growth mechanism was proposed. In addition, high dispersed Ni nanoparticles was loaded on SnO2 nanoflowers applied in supercapacitor. The electrochemical properties of the 3D Ni/SnO2 nanoflowers were investigated by a series of electrochemical tests.