TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The template comprises high aspect ratio cylinder or tubes (preferably carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibres, carbon herringbones and/or carbon onions). The template is optionally doped carbon, a nitride, a sulfide, a carbide or gallium arsenide. The template has a continuous or discontinuous coating of material comprising group VIB transition metal, group VIIIB transition metal, lanthanide series metal and/or actinide series metal. The template is of a defined architecture (preferably carbon nanotube mat). The component used to form the colloidal phase comprises titanium chloride, titanium isopropoxide, tetrabutyloxytitanate, water, alcohol, acetone and/or organic particle shaper. The coating process comprises causing a sol-gel transition of the colloidal phase. The first heat treatment is carried out at 200-500degreesC under an oxidizing atmosphere. The second heat treatment is carried out at 500-950degreesC under a non-oxidizing atmosphere. The atmosphere comprises nitrogen and/or inert gas (preferably hydrogen). The process further comprises: removal of the template after the second heat treatment; or removing anatase phase. The second heat treatment is carried out by oxidation at high temperature or by the use of acid. The process further comprises coating the surface of the titanium oxide with a continuous or discontinuous coating of material after first and second heat treatment. The wall thickness of the titanium oxide nanostructure is 1-20 crystal layers. EXAMPLE - Tetrabutyloxytitanate was dissolved in ethanol and mixed with benzyl alcohol (BA) or acetone. After adding the suspension of carbon nanotubes, gelation was initiated by adding small drops of water or acetic acid. The reaction temperature was varied from 0-90degreesC and the mixture was stirred for 10 minutes to 3 hours. The resulting gel was either desiccated in air at room temperature, dried at 100degreesC or filtered and afterwards calcined at various temperatures. The composite material in each case was collected by filtration, washed with ethanol or water and dried in air, and then calcined in air at 400degreesC for 4 hours, during which the coating crystallized as anatase phase. Afterwards, the calcined materials were treated in flowing nitrogen with exclusion of oxygen at 650-950degreesC for 2-4 hours, during which the anatase phase transformed into rutile phase while continuing to exist as a continuous layer on the carbon nanotubes. A final oxidation in air or oxygen at 520-560degreesC removed the carbon nanotube templates leaving titanium nanotubes consisting of the rutile phase.