It is shown that the rate performance of anatase TiO2 can be significantly improved by addition of a small amount (few percent) of carefully selected oxides such as silica or RuO2. Specifically, silica serves primarily as a suppressant of particle growth during heating of anatase precursor-in our case titania nanotubes. The addition of RuO2 is supposed to enhance the electronic conductivity. The beneficial impact of the combined use of silica and RuO2 in the preparation of anatase-based electrodes is also demonstrated on a commercially available sample of anatase. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.