The Sm2Co17 single-phase and Sm2Co17/Fe7Co3 double phase nanowire arrays with smaller diameter (around 50 nm) have been fabricated into the anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates by direct-current electrodeposition. The crystal structure and micrograph of these nanowire arrays were characterized by X-ray diffraction, held-emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It is found that the as-deposited Sm2Co17 nanowires have the amorphous microstructure. The magnetic hysteresis loops obtained by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) show that the easily magnetized direction of the Sm2Co17 single-phase and Sm2Co17/Fe7Co3 double-phase nanowire arrays is parallel to the nanowire arrays and the exchange coupling interaction in nanocomposite Sm2Co17/Fe7Co3 is discussed. The study of the Sm2Co17 single-phase and Sm2Co17/Fe7Co3 double-phase nanowires with small diameter may open up new opportunities for the design and control of nanostructures such as the fabrication of magnetic recording devices. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier By. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (hltp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).