The photocatalyst TiO(2) with a wormhole-like mesoporous structure and narrow pore distribution were successfully synthesized using triethanolamine as template. The complex oxides InVO(4) with a relatively high surface area, a visible light active hydrogen-evolving photocatalyst, were obtained by means of the templating hydrothermal method with a variety of surfactants. InVO(4) with wormhole-like structure were fabricated by templating of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide. By comparing with the non-mesoporous samples, the mesoporous photocatalysts exhibited higher photocatlytic hydrogen evolution activity for water splitting in the absence and in the presence of oxalic acid. Crown Copyright (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Professor T. Nejat Veziroglu. All rights reserved.