To extend and improve photocatalytic activity of TiO(2) in UV-visible region and reduce electron-hole recombination, Fe(3+) doped anatase nanocrystallites were synthesized by a sol-gel process in an aqueous solution at a temperature of 60 degrees C with the addition of Fe(3+) dopant. The Fe(3+) dopant with various doping level was investigated. Superior self-cleaning performance was achieved for the optimal doped anatase nanocrystals when compared to that of the pure TiO(2) through the evaluation of colorant decomposition, the degradation of a coffee stain, and a red wine stain under UV and visible light irradiation. The study demonstrated that it is feasible to apply Fe(3+) doped anatase nanocrystallites to materials with low thermal resistance, such as textiles and other biomaterials as the doped anatase nanocrystals were formed during the sot-gel process without the need of any post-thermal treatment and the use of aqueous based sol-gel process instead of previously reported solvent-based ones is more environmentally friendly and suitable for large-scale fabrication. (C) 2010 Elsevier By. All rights reserved.