Reported here is a method to synthesize TiO2 nanoparticles at the surface of two hydrophilic membranes (polyethersulfone, PES and polyvinylidene fluoride, PVDE) and one hydrophobic membrane (PVDE) via hydrolysis of titanium tetraisopropoxide. The membranes were pre-wetted with water so that upon dipping in a titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP)/ethanol solution, the hydrolysis occurred specifically at the membrane surface. As a result, a non-aggregated and strongly bonded layer of TiO2 nanoparticles was built on the membrane surface. By crystallizing the TiO2 with vapor water under mild conditions, the photoactive phase anatase was generated on the polymer support. The hydrophilic and hydrophobic PVDF membranes with crystallized TiO2 showed better bovine serum albumin (BSA) permeation flux performance and therefore improved anti-fouling properties compared to the non-treated membranes. All membranes coated with crystallized TiO2 degraded methylene blue, and the hydrophilic membranes showed also a high photocatalytic activity towards the degradation of non-inflammatory drugs (diclofenac and ibuprofen). The reuse of the membranes without any photocatalytic activity loss was shown. This simple synthesis can be applied to other membrane materials and enables easy production of photocatalytically active membranes to remove drugs at a high rate from water. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.