In this study, we prepared V2O5/TiO2 nanosized materials by chemical vapor condensation (CVC) and impregnation for visible-light photocatalysis. The physicochemical surface characteristics and optical properties of all samples were determined by XRD, BET, HR-TEM, XPS, UV-visible spectroscopy, and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, and the visible-light photocatalytic performance was evaluated. The materials prepared using CVC-TiO2 had a larger specific surface area, with very small particles in the amorphous phase, as well as a greater number of Ti3+ ions and hydroxyl groups, and lower PL intensity. The band gap of V2O5/TiO2 narrowed with increased V2O5 loading, resulting in increased photocatalytic activity and enhanced visible-light absorbance. The photocatalytic activity of V2O5/CVC-TiO2 was twice that of a sample obtained using commercial TiO2 (Daegussa, P25). (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.