In this letter, we have demonstrated that gold nanostructures could be selectively deposited on electrospun titania nanofibers through the photocatalytic reduction of HAuCl4 in the presence of an organic capping reagent. Depending on the type and concentration of capping reagent used, gold nanoparticles, fractal nanosheets or nanowires could be obtained. This approach provides a simple route to fabricate metal-decorated titania nanofibers that hold much promise for use in catalysis and chemical sensing. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.