In this research, LiNO3-doped 10% SiO2-90% TiO2 composite thin films on glass ceramics were prepared by sol-gel dip coating. The differential thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction results showed that when 5% LiNO3 was added to the 10% SiO2-90% TiO2 sol-gel system, the phase transformation temperature of non-crystalline to anatase decreased from 560degreesC to 380degreesC and that of anatase to rutile decreased from 960degreesC to 590degreesC. The size of the particles were found equal to around 40 nm for the LiNO3-doped 10% SiO2-90% TiO2 films annealed at 600degreesC. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.