Standard sacrificial template synthesis allows metal oxide nanotubes to be produced from ZnO nanowires. In spite of their high interest in several technological fields, the low surface area of these nanotubes is a drawback for most applications. Here we report for the first time the sacrificial template synthesis of stainless steel wire-mesh (SSWM) supported metal oxides of high technological interest (CuO, CeO2,alpha-Fe2O3 and TiO2) with specific surface area values (84-275 m(2) g(-1)) that are at least one order of magnitude higher than that of metal oxide nanotubes. The key to achieving this outstanding result was the use of a novel template (SSWM-supported ZnO nanosheets) with a large proportion of polar surfaces. As an example of application of these materials, a structured reactor with a highly active SSWM-supported alpha-Fe2O3 catalyst was successfully tested for the continuous Fenton-like degradation of aqueous Methylene blue. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.