Conducting polyaniline (PAni)‐titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanocomposites have been synthesized by the inverted emulsion polymerization method. Aqueous mixtures of aniline, a free‐radical oxidant, and/or TiO2 nanoparticles (∼25 nm in diameter; mixture of anatase and rutile) are utilized to synthesize the hybrid nanocomposites. The polymerization is carried out in an organic solvent (chloroform, CHCl3) in the presence of a protonic acid (hydrochloric acid, HCl) as a dopant and an emulsifier (cetyl trimethylammonium bromide). The resultant PAni‐TiO2 nanocomposites are characterized with their structural, morphological, conducting, and optical properties. SEM and TEM images represent the PAni‐TiO2 nanocomposites with the diameter range of 50–200 nm. Electrical conductivities are checked by standard four‐point probes method and found to be 0.38 S/cm for bulk PAni and 0.11 S/cm for PAni‐TiO2 nanocomposites. UV–visible absorption shows two electronic bands at about 320 and 596 nm for bulk PAni and the blue‐shifted bands with the intensity changes due to the formation of PAni‐TiO2 composites. Thermogravimetric analysis reveals that the composites have a higher degradation temperature than the PAni alone. POLYM. COMPOS., 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers