Hetero-structural NiTiO3/TiO2 nanotubes were prepared by an in-situ reaction method, and were used as photocatalysts for hydrogen generation from water splitting. By virtue of the nanotubular morphology and the stable hetero-architecture, the prepared samples show excellent photocatalytic activity and high stability for repeated use. Especially, there appear to be an optimum NiTiO3 content of 1.77 mol.%, giving a high and stable H-2 evolution rate of about 680 mu mol g(-1) h(-1), which exceeds that of pure TiO2 nanotubes and zero-dimensional TiO2 nanoparticles by about 15 times and 55 times, respectively. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.