Titanate nanotubes were synthesized with hydrothermal reaction using TiO2 and NaOH as the precursors and subsequent calcination at 400 degrees C for 2 h. The products were characterized with SEM and XRD. Adsorption and photocatalysis of methylene blue over titanate nanotubes and TiO2 were investigated. The results indicated that titanate nanotubes exhibited a better photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue in a simultaneous adsorption and photodegradation system than that in equilibrium adsorption followed by a photodegradation system, whereas TiO2 showed no significant differences in photocatalytic activity in the two systems. The methylene blue overall removal efficiency over TNTs in the first system even exceeded that over TiO2. The different catalytic performances of titanate nanotubes in the two systems were tentatively attributed to different effects of adsorption of methylene blue, i.e., the promoting effect in the former and the inhibition effect in the latter. Decantation experiments showed that the titanate nanotube photocatalyst could be easily separated from the reaction medium by sedimentation. Thus titanate nanotubes with high sedimentation rates and concurrent adsorption represent a new catalyst system with a strong potential for commercial applications. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.