A novel approach has been developed to prepare an efficient visible-light photocatalyst using Ag3PO4 and TiO2 sol as precursors. First, Ag3PO4 particles were dipped into TiO2 sol for 5 min and were filtered quickly. Second, Ag3PO4 particles adsorbing a small amount of TiO2 sol were aged for 24 h to form TiO2 gel on their surface. Finally, Ag3PO4 particles covered by TiO2 gel were calcined at 450. C for 2 h to obtain the surface modified Ag3PO4 sample. The surface-modified Ag3PO4 was characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, UV-vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The visible-light photocatalytic performances of the surface-modified Ag3PO4 were evaluated by the photodegradation of methyl orange or phenol solution. The results showed that the surface-modified Ag3PO4 exhibited much higher visible-light photocatalytic activity and stability than pure Ag3PO4. As the amount of TiO2 gel on the Ag3PO4 surface increased, the visible-light photocatalytic activity increased first and then decreased. The surface-modification of Ag3PO4 obviously decreased its solubility in water environment due to the protection of TiO2 and Ag nanocrystals on the surface. The visible-light photocatalytic mechanism of the surface modified Ag3PO4 has been discussed. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.