The bilayer thin film composed of graphite silica (GS) and TiO2 Was prepared by the laser ablation technique. The properties of the thin films considerably depended on the laser ablation conditions such as gas pressure and substrate temperature in a chamber. The laser ablation of GS caused complete disappearance of the quartz XRD (X-ray diffraction) peaks in GS. The GS loading, especially at a thickness of around 200 nm, led to significant enhancement in the photocatalytic activity of the TiO2 thin film for the hydrogen production and the methylene blue decomposition in spite of the destruction of the quartz crystal in GS. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.