Octahedral-like MnFe2O4 crystallites have been fabricated using a TEA-assisted route under mild conditions. The as-prepared powders were characterized in detail by conventional techniques such as XRD, TEM, and FESEM. The saturation magnetization (M-s), remanent magnetization (M-r), and coercivity (H-c) could be determined to be 67, 26 emu/g, and 520 Oe, respectively. Meanwhile, the electrochemical properties of MnFe2O4 demonstrate that it delivers a large discharge capacity, which might find possible application as an electrode material in lithium cells. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.