Novel magnetic@photoluminescent bifunctional coaxial nanocables have been successfully fabricated by electrospinning technology. As an example, Terbium complex Tb(BA)(3)phen (BA = benzoic acid, phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) and ferroferric oxide nanoparticles were incorporated into polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and electrospun into coaxial nanocables with Fe3O4/PVP as core and Tb(BA)(3)phen/PVP as the shell. The morphology and properties of the final products were investigated in detail by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and a fluorescence spectrometer. The core diameter was ca. 150 nm containing magnetic nanoparticles and the shell thickness was ca. 110 nm. Fluorescence emission peaks of Tb3+ in the Fe3O4/PVP@Tb(BA)(3)phen/PVP coaxial nanocables were observed. Compared with Tb(BA)(3)phen/PVP nanofibers, the luminescent intensity of the Fe3O4/PVP@Tb(BA)(3)phen/PVP coaxial nanocables was almost not weakened in spite of the existence of the non-luminescent Fe3O4/PVP core. The as-prepared coaxial nanocables possessed excellent magnetic properties. The new type bifunctional magnetic-photoluminescent Fe3O4/PVP@Tb(BA)(3)phen/PVP coaxial nanocables have many potential applications in display device, nanorobots, protein determination and target delivery of drug due to their excellent magnetism and fluorescence. (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.