TiCl4 was employed to react with the reactive template Na@AAO, Na inside the channels of anodic aluminum oxide membranes, followed by O-2 oxidation at 623 K and annealed at 723 and 873 K to form one-dimensional nanostructures of TiO2. Free standing polycrystals of anatase TiO2 (diameter = 200-400 nm, length = 60 mu m) were obtained after the template was removed. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.