Since the discovery of ordered mesoporous silica materials (MCM41) in 1992, mesoporous materials have become a hot spot in many research fields, such as catalysis, separation, adsorption, optics, electronics, etc. This paper reviews the synthesis, classification, formation mechanism, morphology control and application of mesoporous materials. Nowadays, various shaped mesostructured materials (spheres, rods, plates, spirals, ropes etc.) have been synthesized using the sol-gel, self-assembly, micro-emulsion, reverse micellar and sonochemical method etc. The mesoporous materials can be classified into silica-based and non-silica materials. Siliceous ordered mesoporous materials have been well investigated. On the other hand, less attention has been directed towards non-siliceous materials, although these could have more widespread applications. Several formation mechanisms have been proposed, including the liquid crystal templating (LCT) approach and the cooperative organization mechanism. We have prepared novel mesoporous TiO2 powders and thin films by the sonochemical and reversed mecellar methods. Their photocatalytic activity is significantly higher than those of ordinary TiO2 powders and thin films.