Anatase thin films (< 200 nm in thickness) embedding Degussa P25 TiO2 were prepared by sol-gel method. TiO2-anatase thin films were deposited on a fiberglass substrate and then ground to obtain glass microrods containing the composite films. The film structure was characterized using Raman spectroscopy, atomic absorption and UV-vis spectrophotometry, and atomic force microscopy. The photocatalytic activity of the composite films, calcined at 450 degrees C, and the regeneration of the activity under the same experimental conditions, were assessed using gas chromatography to study the photodegradation of phenol, an industrial pollutant, in water under 365 nm irradiation. The film with 15.0 wt.% of P25 TiO degrees was found to be more photoactive (54 ppm of degraded phenol at 6 h of illumination) than the other ones. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.