This work reports a facile hydrolysis method for the synthesis of spherical mesoporous titania particles using titanium tetrachloride under mild conditions. The method can be easily controlled or expanded. The influences of various reaction conditions including concentration of Ti4+ ions and water content on the formation of mesoporous titania particles were systematically investigated. The titania particles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface areas. Experimental results showed that the mesoporous titania particles have special surface structure and excellent thermally stable mesoporous structure after annealing at high temperatures (500 degrees C). The effects of various reaction conditions, such as concentration of Ti4+, H2O/n-butanol volume ratio and reaction temperature, on formation, crystal phase, morphology of titania particles were investigated. Crown Copyright (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.