B-doped TiO2 was synthesized by a direct hydrolyzation of n-tetrabutyl titanate in a solution of boric acid, and was treated by hydro-thermal synthesis. The powder was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), FT-IR, scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), surface photoviolet spectra, UV-visible absorption spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Rhodamine B (RhB) degradation was used as a probe reaction to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of B-doped TiO2 under simulate sunlight, and excellent photocatalytic performance was achieved. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.