Morphology-controlled fabrication of hierarchical LDH/C microspheres derived from rape pollen grain

Background: Hierarchically structured LDH based materials are being actively investigated due to their potential applications in separation and catalysis which result from their fascinatingly porous features, tunable structures and properties. Results: In this study, we present a versatile, simple and reproducible method to fabricate hierarchical LDH/C microspheres by combining the biological template method (for Al2O3/C) and hydrothermal method (for LDH/C). To do this, the Al2O3/C microspheres are prepared by a biotemplating route using natural rape pollen grains as both the carbon source and the template. The LDH/C microspheres with hierarchical architectures are designed by in situ growth of nanoscaled LDH platelets on the microscaled carbon spheres. Conclusion: This new class of composite materials and the design strategies can be extended for the fabrication of other hierarchical biomorphic materials by using biological templates for separation and purification, catalysis, adsorption, and energy storage applications. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.