This paper describes the formation of self-organized nanopores in thin films of titanium prepared using a Filtered Cathodic Vacuum Arc (FCVA) deposition system. The post-deposition anodization was performed using 0.5% (wt) NH(4)F in ethylene glycol and an aqueous based solution containing 0.5% (wt) NH(4)F and 1 M (NH(4))(2)SO(4) electrolytes. Homogenously distributed nanopores with dimensions in the range of 10 to 20 nm were obtained. Nanoporous TiO(2) thin films were obtained after annealing the anodized samples at 600 degrees C for 4 h. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy were used to characterize these nanoporous films. Raman measurements revealed that the rutile TiO(2) polymorph dominates these structures along with imperfect titanium oxidation resulting in the formation of defect structures, particularly when aqueous electrolyte was used for the anoclization. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.