Ultrathin Ti-doped alpha-Fe2O3 a photoanode was prepared by a facile atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition method through pyrolysis of ferrocene at 450 degrees C on Ti foil. The as prepared ultrathin hematite thin film has a surface feature size of 70 x 30 nm and a thickness of 50 nm. The photocurrent of this ultrathin hematite photoanode prepared at 450 degrees C in 1 M NaOH reaches 900 mu A/cm(2) at 0.6 V-SCE under AM 1.5G illumination. The superior performance to the thin films prepared on FTO glass was ascribed to the diffusion and doping of Ti4+ from the metal substrate during pyrolysis deposition of hematite on Ti substrate. Copyright (C) 2014, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.