The SrFe12O19/poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) composite fiber precursors were prepared by the sol-gel assisted electrospinning with ferric nitrate, strontium nitrate and PVP as starting reagents. Subsequently, the M-type strontium ferrite (SrFe12O19) nanofibers were derived from calcination of these precursors at 750-1,000 A degrees C.The composite precursors and strontium ferrite nanofibers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and vibrating sample magnetometer. The structural evolution process of strontium ferrite consists of the thermal decomposition and M-type strontium ferrite formation. After calcined at 750 A degrees C for 2 h the single M-type strontium ferrite phase is formed by reactions of iron oxide and strontium oxide produced during the precursor decomposition process. The nanofiber morphology, diameter, crystallite size and grain morphology are mainly influenced by the calcination temperature and holding time. The SrFe12O19 nanofibers characterized with diameters of around 100 nm and a necklace-like structure obtained at 900 A degrees C for 2 h, which is fabricated by nanosized particles about 60 nm with the plate-like morphology elongated in the preferred direction perpendicular to the c-axis, show the optimized magnetic property with saturation magnetization 59 A m(2) kg(-1) and coercivity 521 kA m(-1). It is found that the single domain critical size for these M-type strontium ferrite nanofibers is around 60 nm.