In spite of the controversy about the chemical structure and formation mechanism of titania nanotubes (TNTs), they are still gaining prominence owing to their unique features including large specific surface area, photocatalytic potential, and ion-exchangeable ability. In view of this, a comprehensive list of literatures on characterizations, formation mechanism, and applications of TNTs was compiled and reviewed. From a literature survey, it is apparent that the dependence of TNT attributes on the synthesis conditions and on the post-treatments significantly dominates the feasibility of applications. So far, studies intended for rapid formation kinetics and for modifications of TNTs are not exhaustive. That may be the promising aspects in the following developments of TNTs. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.