A novel one-pot synthetic procedure to obtain magnetic hybrid nanostructured materials (HNM), based on magnetic spinel-metal-oxide (SMO) nanoparticles stabilized in ovoid-like carboxymethyl-cellulose (CMC)/cetyltrimethylammonium-bromide (CTAB) templates, is reported. The HNM were synthesized from the controlled hydrolysis of inorganic salts of Fe (II) and Fe (III) into aqueous dissolutions of CMC and CTAB. The synthesized HNM were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and static magnetic measurements. The experimental evidence suggests that, due to the competition between CTAB molecules and SMO nanoparticles to occupy CMC intermolecular sites nearby to its carboxylate functional groups, the size of both, SMO nanoparticles and ovoid-like CMC/CTAB templates can be tuned, varying the CTAB:SMO weight ratio. Moreover, it was found that the magnetic response of the HNM depends on the confinement degree of the SMO nanoparticles into the CMC/CTAB template. Hence, their magnetic characteristics can be adjusted controlling the size of the template, the quantity and distribution of the SMO nanoparticles within the template and their size. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.