One-dimensional magnetic inorganic–organic hybrid nanomaterials

One-dimensional (1D) magnetic inorganic-organic hybrid nanomaterials bear both the intrinsic magnetic properties of the inorganic components and the functionality and responsiveness of their organic part. In this tutorial review, we first emphasize various synthetic strategies for this type of materials: (i) template-directed synthesis employs different preformed templates such as channels in solids, mesostructures self-assembled from block copolymers, cylindrical polymer brushes, 1D biological templates and other existing 1D templates; (ii) electrospinning, which provides a simple and efficient technique that can lead to a potential large-scale production; (iii) 1D conjugation of building blocks which combines the physical attraction of magnetic nanoparticles in a magnetic field with chemical crosslinking and stabilization. The properties, functions and the future trends of these materials are also briefly introduced. It is foreseeable that these hybrid materials will play more and more important roles in the ever-advancing miniaturization of functional devices.