Titanium acid H(2)Ti(2)O(5)center dot H2O with nanosheet morphology has been prepared by doping Zn2+ into Ti-O crystal structure through the hydrothermal method. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy. It indicated that Zn2+ doping plays an important role in formation of layered H(2)Ti(2)O(5)center dot H2O. The photo-catalytic activity of the samples was characterized by the depigmentation of methyl orange solution by UV light irradiation. It demonstrated that H(2)Ti(2)O(5)center dot H2O possess good photocatalytic properties in water purification and may find potential application in related fields. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.