Sol-gel-derived titania films were analyzed by temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The relationship between the TPD curves measured for two types of titania gel films and their crystal structures was investigated. On the basis of the analyses, a preparation process for a titania sol solution containing anatase nanocrystals was designed and developed. Using this process, a colloidal anatase titania sol solution was prepared by heating aqueous titanium hydroxide containing HCl at 60�C for 2 h. The nanocrystal structure of the titania films obtained by coating the sol on glass substrates was confirmed by TPD and XRD measurements.