TiO2 nanoparticles doped with different content of Ce ion were prepared by sol-gel method. The samples were characterized by XRD, XPS, TEM, UV-Vis, and PL, the photocatalytic activity was evaluated by photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) under the irradiation of fluorescent lamp. The results indicate that Ce ion is incorporated into the lattice of TiO2, which can restrain the increase of grain size, broaden the absorption region to visible light, and inhibit the recombination of the photo-generated electron and hole pairs. Moreover, the photocatalytic activity of Ce-TiO2 in MB degradation is evidently enhanced. The MB degradation rate of the sample with Ce:Ti = 0.33% (molar ratio) in 8 h is 90.03%, which is much higher than that of P25 (68.19%). (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.