Pt/TiO2 nanocomposite films were prepared using 2-beam pulsed laser deposition (2B-PLD) technique, where sequential irradiation of ArF excimer laser for ionization after Nd:YAG laser for ablation of the target was utilized. The effect of the time delay of the ArF laser after the ablation laser irradiation on the structures of Pt/TiO2 nanocomposite films was studied. It was inferred from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of the as-deposited films that the coordination structures around Ti atoms in the films were affected by the time delays. Single phase TiO2 in anatase form was obtained in the annealed Pt/TiO2 nanocomposite films prepared at 200-250 ns of the time delays, which suggests that the effective photoionization of the ablated species could take place by the ArF laser irradiation in this time range and affect the structure of the deposits. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.