Single-crystalline rutile nanorods were synthesized by a facile acid treatment on titanate nanotubes. These rutile nanorods could be highly dispersed in water to form a stable colloidal solution. Cu2+ ions were grafted onto these rutile nanorods, and the Cu2+-grafted nanorods could absorb visible light by the interfacial char c transfer between the valence band of rutile TiO2 and surface-modified Cu2+ ions. Transparent thin films of Cu2+-grafted nanorods were coated on substrates by a facile spin-coating method. These films exhibited superhydrophilic conversion under visible light irradiation.