A well-designed C-TiO2 hybrid with high surface area (183 m(2)/g) and highly dispersed nano-TiO2 on carbon was prepared by a facial one-pot hydrothermal reaction using glucose as structure-directing agent and carbon source. The utilization of glucose in hydrothermal process controls the nucleation and growth of TiO2 particles, and the rota-crystallization (hydrothermal crystallization at certain rotating rate) further introduces a uniform TiO2-layer on the carbon particles. The nanosized TiO2 particles and interconnected nanopores of the C-TiO2 hybrid greatly improve the catalytic activity of Ru NPs for selective hydrogenation of benzoic acid (BA) to cyclohexane carboxylic acid in water at low temperature (as low as 50 degrees C), and the TOF can achieve as high as 283 h(-1). Compared with static crystallization, rota-crystallization endows Ru/C-TiO2 higher surface area, easier reducibility of Ru species and higher stability of Ru/C-TiO2 for selective hydrogenation of BA.