The effects of crystallinity, phase and oxygen vacancies on optical and photocatalytic properties of titania (TiO2) thin films were systematically studied. The as-deposited amorphous titania films were prepared by reactive sputtering titanium metal targets in argon-oxygen plasma at 100 degrees C and subsequently annealed at various temperatures of 400-800 degrees C in air, vacuum and H-2 atmosphere. The results indicate that in general the crystallinity of the annealed films is enhanced with the increasing annealing temperature. At the same temperature, the H-2 annealed films achieve better crystallinity but containing more oxygen vacancies than the films annealed in air and in vacuum. In H-2 or in vacuum, the concentration of oxygen vacancies in the annealed films increases with increasing temperature, while in air it remains constant. Oxygen vacancies in titania film not only facilitate phase transformation but also lower the band gap of titania, and make the film visible-light responsive. Photocatalytic properties of the TiO2 films were characterized in UV and visible light irradiation by following the Ag reduction and degradation of methylene blue. The films annealed at 600-700 degrees C in H-2 possess the best film crystallinity and the proper concentration of oxygen vacancies and exhibit the best photocatalytic performance under both UV and visible light. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.