Plain and doped (Fe3+ and Nb5+) titania coatings were deposited by dip coating on soda lime glass substrates using titania sol synthesized by sol-gel route in combination with commercial nanoparticle dispersions. The dopant concentrations were fixed at 0.07 wt% and the coatings heat treated at 400 degrees C were characterized with respect to their thickness, phase composition, hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity and microstructure. Photocatalytic activity testing was carried out on the coatings by following up the degradation of methylene blue dye for up to 4 h at 1 h time intervals after exposure to sunlight. The effect of a trivalent and pentavalent doping of Ti4+ sites on photocatalytic activity of TiO2 was investigated. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.