Hierarchically nanostructured hydroxyapatite (HA) hollow spheres assembled from nanorods have been successfully synthesized using CaCl2, NaH2PO4, and potassium sodium tartrate via a solvothermal method at 200 degrees C for 24 h in water/N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) mixed solvents. The ratio of water to DMF plays a key role in the formation of hierarchically nanostructured HA hollow spheres, The potassium sodium tartrate was used as a chelating ligand and a template molecule in the synthesis and self-assembly of HA nanorods, The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectra (EDS), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. FESEM and TEM images indicated that hollow spheres of about 3.6 mu m in diameter were built by HA nanorods. On the basis of experimental results, a possible formation mechanism of these hierarchically nanostructured HA hollow spheres in the growth processes was proposed. ((C) Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009)