Undoped and Fe ions doped TiO2 thin films were prepared by sol-gel method on soda lime glass substrates. The resulting films were characterized by XRD, XPS and AFM. It was found that the addition of Fe ions suppressed the grain growth of crystals in the TiO2 thin film. The UV inducing hydrophilicity of the films was enhanced by doping Fe ions. The undoped films could be entirely wetted by water after 5 h UV illumination while 5 mol% Fe ions doped films could show hydrophilicty after 2 h UV illumination and be entirely wetted after 4 It UV illumination. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.