Well faceted TiO2 nanorods with a regular geometric configuration were hydrothermally prepared by chemical modification of TiCl4 by ethylene glycol to slow down the reactivity of the precursor toward water. XRD patterns revealed that the as made products were pure rutile. The nanorods were highly crystalline and had an elongated prismatic shape. They grew in the [0 0 1] direction and have an aspect ratio of similar to 45. The rod size can also be tailored via recipe modification. Ag loaded TiO2 was achieved upon exposure of the rutile nanorods to UV light in AgNO3 aqueous solution. The photocatalytic activities of the pure and Ag loaded TiO2 nanorods were evaluated by the photodegradation of phenol and methylene green (MG). (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.