A novel photocatalyst (Ce, C-codoped titania) was synthesized through a modified sol-gel method under mild condition. The as-prepared sample was investigated by XRD, SEM, DRS and XPS. It was found that the as-prepared photocatalyst was composed of spheroidal particles, which were smaller than undoped ones. The absorbance spectrum of Ce, C-codoped TiO2 exhibited significant red-shift to visible region. It can be ascribed to appearance of a new electronic state in the middle of the TiO2 band-gap. Furthermore, cerium doping could slow the radiative recombination process of photogenerated electrons and holes in TiO2. Accordingly, for degradation of dye Reactive Brillint Red X-3B (C.I. reactive red 2) under visible light, the photocatalytic activity of Ce, C-codoped TiO2 improved much compared to other samples (C-doped TiO2, undoped TiO2 and P25). (C) 2009 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.