There is growing interest in new ways to configure titanium dioxide (TiO2) as new applications emerge such as in photovoltaics and catalysis. A method has been developed for the preparation of mesoporous TiO2 fibers using electrostatic deposition. The mesoporous metal oxide fibers were prepared using Pluronic 123 as the template. The fibers contain anatase crystallized in the pore walls which transforms to rutile upon calcination above 800degreesC. The electrospun fibers were evaluated for the photodecomposition of phenol and formic acid. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.