beta-Ni(OH)(2) hierarchical micro-flowers, hierarchical hollow microspheres and nanosheets were synthesized via a facile, single-step and selected-control hydrothermal method. Both hierarchical micro-flowers and hierarchical hollow microspheres were built from two-dimensional nanosheets with thickness of 50-100 nm. The as-obtained products were characterized by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). It was observed that marked morphological changes in beta-Ni(OH)(2) depended on the initial concentrations of Ni2+ ions and glycine. A possible growth mechanism was proposed based on experimental results. In addition, the effect of morphology on the electrochemical properties was also investigated. Both hierarchical micro-flowers and hierarchical hollow microspheres exhibited enhanced specific capacity and high-rate discharge ability as compared with pure Ni(OH)(2) nanosheets. Investigations confirmed that hierarchical structures had a pronounced influence upon the electrochemical performance of nickel hydroxide. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.