Abstract Porous TiO2 materials with a bimodal pore size distribution were synthesized using a bisurfactant mesophase. TiO2 samples with highly ordered channels were obtained by applying shear to the mesophase template. The nanochannels inherited the hexagonal geometry of the water channels. Scanning electron and transmission electron micrographs (SEM and TEM) showed a dramatic alignment effect of applying shear prior to material synthesis (Figure). In the unsheared system, pores in random directions were observed, which attain considerable alignment upon shearing. The ordered channels arrayed parallel to each other can act as an ideal light transfer pathway for introducing UV light into the interior of the catalyst. This enhances the photoadsorption efficiency, as well as the efficiency of the photogenerated electrons/holes in the sheared titania samples, leading to higher photocatalytic activity for degradation of Rhodamine B compared to the unsheared samples. The improvement in photocatalytic activity of sheared TiO2 materials is attributed to their wider UV absorption range, higher photoadsorption efficiency and well-ordered channels which facilitated the diffusion and transport of reactant molecules within the materials. The porous sheared materials with highly ordered channels, highly photoadsorption efficiency, and easily controlled channel size distribution may be promising as an advanced catalytic support, and as a novel optic or photoelectric material. Key words: Titania, Shear, Ordered channels, Photocatalytic activity, Photodegradation