Mg-Ti alloys can have excellent corrosion, hydrogenation and switchable mirror performance. Magnetron co-sputter-deposited Mg-Ti alloys are analyzed using X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and scanning Kelvin probe techniques to determine their crystal orientations, particle sizes, surface morphologies and work functions. The incorporation of Ti atoms into the Mg HCP lattice is found to slightly decrease the crystal unit cell parameters, substantially suppress (0 0 0 2) plane, effectively facilitate the growth of (1 0 (1) over bar 0) and (1 0 (1) over bar 1) orientated crystals, significantly refine the particle size, noticeably alter the surface roughness and evidently influence the work function of Mg. These observed modifications in the surface morphologies and crystal structures of Mg-Ti alloys should be responsible for their reported hydrogenation/dehydrogenation and switchable mirror performance. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.