Anatase titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin films with high photocatalytic activity have been prepared with deposition rates as high as 16 nm/min by a newly developed vacuum arc plasma evaporation (VAPE) method using sintered TiO2 pellets as the Source material. Highly transparent TiO2 thin films prepared at substrate temperatures from room temperature to 400 degrees C exhibited photocatalytic activity, regardless whether oxygen (O-2) gas was introduced during the VAPE deposition. The highest photocatalytic activity and photo-induced hydrophilicity were obtained in anatase TiO2 thin films prepared at 300 degrees C, which correlated to the best crystallinity of the films, as evidenced from X-ray diffraction. In addition, a transparent and conductive anatase TiO2 thin film with a resistivity of 2.6 x 10(-1) Omega cm was prepared at a Substrate temperature of 400 degrees C without the introduction of O-2 gas. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.