In order to improve the photocatalytic performance of titania under visible light, a boron and nitrogen co-doped titania photocatalyst was prepared. Its photoabsorbance was measured by UV-vis diffusive reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The microstructure of photocatalyst was characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The microcrystal of the co-doped photocatalyst consisted of anatase phase and was approximately present in the form of spherical particle. The particle size was in correlation with the calcination temperature. Degradation of phenol under visible light illumination was used to evaluate the photocatalytic performance. The calcination temperature and the component influenced the photoactivity. The results showed that the co-doping of boron and nitrogen played an important role in the band gap decrease, which led to the rise of the photocatalytic activity. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.