Hollow polyacene quinone radical (PAQR) submicrospheres are synthesized by a modified solvothermal method. The morphology and structure of the hollow PAQR submicrospheres were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and Haake rotational rheometer, respectively. Meanwhile, both the size and the shell thickness of PAQR hollow submicrospheres could be adjusted by changing the amount of surfactant-sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). When PAQR hollow submicrospheres are used as the electrorheological (ER) dispersed materials, good ER effect is achieved. Furthermore, the hollow structure is beneficial to improve the antisedimentation property for ER application. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.