Photoabsorption characterization and magnetic property of multiferroic BiFeO3 nanotubes synthesized by a facile sol-gel template process

This paper reports the synthesis and characterization of multiferroic BiFeO3 nanotubes. Perovskite BiFeO3 nanotubes with outer diameters 150-190 nm were synthesized by a facile sol-gel template method. The photoabsorption of BiFeO3 nanotubes was characterized by UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectrometry. The BiFeO3 nanotubes show weak ferromagnetism at room temperature, unlike the antiferromagnetic order in bulk BiFeO3, reflecting the grain size-confinement effect on the magnetic ordering of BiFeO3. (C) 2007 Published by Elsevier Ltd. on behalf of Acta Materialia Inc.