Au/TiO2 nanocomposites have been prepared by UV photolysis or chemical reduction of a Au(III) complex formed on a spherical or a rodlike TiO2 support, and their catalytic activity for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging reaction was investigated. The chemical reduction with dimethylamine borane (DMAB) provided smaller gold nanoparticles than those synthesized by UV photolysis. Type of the TiO2 also affected the size of gold particles; smaller gold particles were deposited on the spherical TiO2 support than on rodlike one. For the radical scavenging reaction, the Au/TiO2 nanocomposites prepared by chemical reduction exhibited a higher catalytic activity than those photochemically prepared, and rodlike TiO2 provided a higher activity than spherical one. The effects of preparation methods and type of TiO2 supports on the catalytic activity are discussed. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.