Titanium silicalite-1 (TS-1) was synthesized using amorphous SiO2 and TPABr in presence of nonionic surfactants (Tween 20, Tween 60, Span 60, Span 80 or TX-100). The samples prepared with or without surfactant were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, UV-vis, XPS, SEM and N-2 adsorption. It was shown that the use of nonionic surfactants help to avoid the precipitation of extra framework TiO2, decrease the crystal size of TS-1, increase the amount of Ti incorporated into framework and increase the surface area of TS-1. The catalytic performance of TS-1 prepared with nonionic surfactants also improved for hydroxylation of phenol in a fixed-bed reactor. Among all the nonionic surfactants used, Span 60 was found superior to the others. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.