The formation of novel urchin-like architecture An by hydrothermal treated method in tungstosilicate acid (H4SiW12O40, TSA) solution is described, The particles are characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The results show that it is possible to synthesize and assemble other noble metal particles with unique superstructure with possible applications in catalysis and other fields. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.