Hollow BaTiO3 and anatase spheres were prepared from multilayered colloidal titanate particles. An inorganic precursor, titanium (IV) bis(ammonium lactate) dihydroxide (TALH) (chemical formula: [CH3CH(O-)CO2-NH4](2)Ti(OH)(2)) was used. First, a layer-by-layer (LBL) colloid-templating method was employed using TALH to generate monodispersed hollow titanate spheres. These spheres were then treated in a Ba(OH)(2) solution or distilled water under hydrothermal conditions to transform them into hollow BaTiO3 or anatase spheres, respectively.