Synthesis and characterization of BiFeO3 nanotube arrays and Y-junction BiFeO3 nanotubes

Multiferroic BiFeO3 (BFO) nanotube arrays (～100 nm in diameter and ～50 μm in length) were synthesized by the sol-gel method utilizing the anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane technique. The microstructure and chemical components of the BFO nanotubes were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS). The BFO nanotubes exhibited polycrystalline microstructures. The novel Y-junction BFO nanotubes were simultaneously fabricated. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 90306010), Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University (Grant No. NCET-04-0653) and National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2007CB616911)