Based on an acidolysis reaction between titanium n-butoxide and carboxyl (COOH) groups, serial highly dispersed TiO(2) photocatalysts were successfully synthesized on COOH-modified mesoporous SBA-15 material. Even after calcined at 550 degrees C to improve the crystallization, the TiO(2)/SBA-15 products possessed high surface area above 400 m(2) g(-1) that should be attributed to the high porosity of mesoporous SBA-15 and the highly uniform COOH group distribution in mesopores. HRTEM images revealed that TiO(2) nanocrystals dispersed well on the surface of SBA-15. The pore channels were partly blocked by TiO(2) nanocrystals, resulting in a bimodal pore size distribution in TiO(2)/SBA-15 compared with SBA-15. XRD and Raman results disclosed the exclusive anatase phase of TiO(2) in the photocatalysts. With adjusting the molar ratio of COOH to TB, the TiO(2)/SBA-15 products displayed different photocatalytic performance using Rhodamine B as probe under UV light. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.