Mesoscale Organization of CuO Nanoribbons:  Formation of “Dandelions”

A two-tiered organizing scheme with multiple-length scales for construction of dandelion-like hollow CuO microspheres has been elucidated: (1) mesoscale formation of rhombic building units from smaller nanoribbons via oriented aggregation and (2) macroscopic organization of these units into the CuO microspheres. This self-assembly concept may also be applicable to other metal oxides by creating geometric constraints for constructional units.