Undoped and cobalt doped titania (TiO2) thin films have been prepared on Si(1 0 0) monocrystal and quartz substrate using the sol-gel deposition method and annealed in air at 450, 550, 650, 750, 850, 950 and 1050 degrees C. Several experimental techniques (AFM, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, XRR, EDX, XPS, XAS, UV-VIS spectroscopy) have been used to characterize these films. Further more the degree of light induced hydrophilicity was estimated by measuring the contact angle of a water droplet on the film. Increase of the annealing temperature and in smaller degree also cobalt doping predispose titania crystallite growth. The rutile phase was detected at lower temperatures in the cobalt doped films than in the undoped titania films. Cobalt in the cobalt doped TiO2 was seen to be in Co2+ oxidation state, mainly in CoTiO3 phase when films were annealed at temperatures higher than 650 degrees C. Cobalt compounds segregated into the sub-surface region and to the surface of the titania, where they formed islands. Cobalt doping red-shifted the fundamental absorption edge further into the visible range, however it did not enhance the light induced hydrophilicity of the thin film surface as compared to the undoped titania thin films. (C) 2011 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.