Using method of electrochemical anodization and subsequent reduction, titanium gauze with reduced TiO2 nanotubes on the surface (reduced TiO2 nanotubes/Ti gauze) was prepared and used for air-water interface solar heating. The electrochemical reduction method can generate Ti3+ and causes the narrowing of optical band gap of TiO2 (ca. 2.91 eV). Combining with the nanotubular structure, reduced TiO2 nanotubes/Ti gauze demonstrated higher absorption ability of visible light than other types of titanium gauzes (reduced P25 TiO2 nanoparticles/Ti gauze, TiO2 nanotubes/Ti gauze and P25 TiO2 nanoparticles/Ti gauze). For evaluating the property of air-water interface solar heating, solar water evaporation test was conducted. The results demonstrated that the reduced TiO2 nanotubes/Ti gauze can efficiently accelerate water evaporation. The water evaporation rate and solar thermal conversion efficiency were 1.41 kg m(-2) h(-1) and 44.2%, respectively, under solar light irradiation with intensity of 2 kW m(-2), which are higher than that of reduced P25 TiO2 nanoparticles/Ti gauze, TiO2 nanotubes/Ti gauze, P25 TiO2 nanoparticles/Ti gauze and pristine Ti gauze. It was further found that the solar thermal conversion efficiency of reduced TiO2 nanotubes/Ti gauze attained 84.2% when solar light intensity increased to 5.6 kW m(-2). This work may provide a new route to design more advanced photothermal materials for industrial applications such as waste water treatment, salt production and solar desalination.