In the present investigation, alpha-Fe2O3/TiO2 heterostructured photoanode prepared on titanium substrates for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. The nanostructured alpha-Fe2O3/TiO2 photoanode prepared on titanium substrates through an aqueous chemical growth method and the optimized structure shows a maximum photocurrent density of about 0.5 mA cm(-2) at 1.0 V vs. Ag/AgCl in 1 M KOH and this is the highest photocurrent density associated with water oxidation reported for alpha-Fe2O3/TiO2 heterostructure formed on a titanium substrate under a standard AM 1.5G solar irradiation. The physicochemical characterization of the prepared alpha-Fe2O3/TiO2 heterostructure was characterized through scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-rays, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectra and work function was examined by a Scanning Kelvin Probe technique. It is also envisaged that titanium substrates can replace TCO substrates in terms of fragility, cost and performance for practical PEC reactors. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.