Nano-crystalline TiO(2) thin films were synthesized by using sol-gel and spin-coating techniques on glass substrates for photo-catalytic applications. Prior to deposition, a TiO(2) colloidal suspension was synthesized by microwave-induced thermal hydrolysis of the titanium tetrachloride aqueous solution. In this study, the deposited TiO(2) coating with a grain size of 13 +/- 2 nm was uniform without aggregation. Co ion implantation into the as-calcined TiO(2) thin films was conducted with fluences of 1 x 10(15)-1 x 10(16) doses/cm(2) at 40 key. In addition to the emission of TiO(2), the photoluminescence study showed the presence of another Co-related optical center at 405 nm in the Co-implanted TiO(2) thin films. Due to the strong capability of forming impurity compounds between the energetic cobalt ions and TiO(2), the photoluminescence emission and UV-Vis absorption efficiencies were improved. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.