An anodization method was developed for the preparation of highly photoactive titania nanotube arrays (TiNTs) on commercially available titanium mesh. The prepared material was characterized from the point of view of its structure and possible photocatalytic applications and was compared with titania films deposited on the Ti-mesh by liquid deposition (TiO2-LD) and sol-gel methods (TiO2-SG). The photoactivity was determined in gas phase using NOx decomposition according to the ISO standard no. 22197-1 (2007) as well as in liquid phase by decolorization of organic dyes e.g. methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B (RhB). The investigated anatase nanotube arrays on Ti mesh showed the highest photoactivity in both gaseous and liquid phases and are promising for applications in photocatalytic reactors for environmental purification. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.