Hydrothermally stable mesoporous aluminosilicates with hollow tubular morphology were fabricated via the controlled coassembly of protozeolitic nanoclusters and soluble silica species. The introduction of protozeolitic nanoclusters not only enhanced the hydrothermal stability but also facilitated the tailoring of the hierarchical structure of the 'tubules-within-a-tubule' mesoporous aluminosilicates. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.