Carbon-core/TiO2-sheath nanofibers have been fabricated from poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/TiO2 composite nanofibers that were prepared by electrospinning an aqueous solution of PVA and introducing the thread-like droplets directly into a titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP)/heptane solution. The PVA/TiO2 composite nanofibers were transformed into carbon/TiO2 nanofibers by iodine vapor treatment at 353 K, which induced dehydration of PVA, followed by carbonization in N-2 at 873 K. The carbon/TiO2 nanofibers had diameters of a few hundred nanometers and sheathes of tens of nanometers. The nanofibers were composed of carbon cores with a low degree of graphitization and TiO2 sheaths with an anatase crystal structure. The electrical conductivity of the carbon/TiO2 composite nanofibers was enhanced by 4 orders of magnitude compared with TiO2 hollow nanofibers. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.