Titanium oxide nanotubes (TNTs) have been synthesized via the reaction of TiO2 crystalline powders of either anatase or rutile phase and NaOH aqueous solution. Their application as an active supports of gold particles prepared by deposition-precipitation (DP) method is investigated. The TNT supports and the gold catalysts were characterized by a range of methods including powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), N-2 adsorption analysis and temperature programmed reduction (TPR). The catalytic activity of gold-supported titania nanotubes (Au/TNTs) was evaluated for the first time in water-gas shift reaction (WGSR) at wide temperature range (140-300 degrees C) and has been compared with Au/surfactant-templated-mesoporous-titania and Au/Al2O3 catalysts under the same operating conditions. We try to establish a correlation between the catalytic performance of Au/TNTs and the nature of the support. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.