Unique magnetic properties and magnetization reversal process of CoFe2O4 nanotubes fabricated by electrospinning

CoFe2O4 nanotubes have been directly fabricated by single-capillary spinneret electrospinning. The external diameter of the CoFe2O4 nanotubes ranges from 60 nm to 160 nm. The morphology and structure characterizations show that individual CoFe2O4 nanotubes are made of CoFe2O4 nanocrystals stacking along the nanotubes with no preferred growth directions and these individual nanocrystals are single crystal with a cubic spinel structure. Each nanocrystal was shown to be a single magnetic domain. The magnetic measurements show that the coercivity (Hc) of the CoFe2O4 nanotubes decreases from 10 400 Oe at 5 K to 300 Oe at 360 K. The CoFe2O4 nanotubes have a spin reorientation (SR) at 5 K, which is different from CoFe2O4 nanorods and nanoparticles. Based on the observed morphology and crystal structure, a micromagnetic model, chain-of-rings, is developed to interpret the magnetic behavior of the CoFe2O4 nanotubes. The theoretical coercivity (534 Oe) is in good agreement with the experimental results (509 Oe). It is believed that our work should open a new route to prepare various magnetic ferrite nanotubes and is significant for expanding the application of CoFe2O4 into the new fields.