A selective-fluorination etching process achieved by an UV light pre-irradiation and the subsequently fluorination etching was developed to enhance the photocatalytic activity of a low-temperature deposited amorphous titanium oxide (a-TiOx) film. Textured surface on the a-TiOx films formed by this process were investigated using atomic force microscope and field emission scanning electron microscope. Evidence of the fluorine ions introduced into the a-TiOx films was examined using Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The etching thickness of the a-TiOx film was found to be deeply relevant to the film pre-irradiated by the UV light. An a-TiOx film with nano-textured surface, which was favorable to enlarge the specific surface area, thus was obtainable from the notable etching selectivity of the film pre-irradiated by UV light through a nano-sized mask. In addition, the surface acidity of the a-TiOx film was enhanced by the formation of the Ti-F chemical bonds originating from the fluorination etching process, which also was functional to facilitate the production of surface OH free radicals. Accordingly, the resulting fluorinated a-TiOx film with nano-textured surface performed a quality photocatalytic activity comparable to that of the high-temperature achieved TiOx film with anatase structures. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.