Simple methods for preparation of mesoporous rodlike silica and titania nanoobjects, some with exceedingly high aspect ratios, are described. They involve hydrolytic sol-gel processes using nanotubes from aqueous assemblies of very dilute (0.1 wt%) sodium lithocholate as templates. Shearing of the lithocholate nanotubes results in aligned, templated silica rods. The relative rates of lithocholate self-assembly and of polymerization of the titania precursors, especially, appear to be important factors in templating efficiency. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.