Titanium dioxide nanocrystals were employed, for the first time, for the sorption of Hg(II) ions from aqueous solutions. The effects of varying parameters such as pH, temperature, initial metal concentration, and contact time on the adsorption process were examined. Adsorption equilibrium was established in 420 min and the maximum adsorption of Hg(II) on the TiO2 was observed to occur at pH 8.0. The adsorption data correlated with Freundlich, Langmuir, Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R), and Temkin isotherms. The Freundlich isotherm showed the best fit to the equilibrium data. The Pseudo-first order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models were studied to analyze the kinetic data. A second-order kinetic model fit the data with the (k(2) = 2.8126 x 10(-3) g mg(-1) min(-1), 303 K). The intraparticle diffusion models were applied to ascertain the rate-controlling step. The thermodynamic parameters (Delta G degrees, Delta H degrees, and Delta S degrees) were calculated which showed an endothermic adsorption process. The equilibrium parameter (R-L) indicated that TiO2 nanocrystals are useful for Hg(II) removal from aqueous solutions. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of The Society of Powder Technology Japan. All rights reserved.