Bi-doped TiO2 nanofibers with different Si content were firstly prepared by an electrospinning method. The as-prepared nanofibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), photoluminescence spectra (PL), and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The results indicated that Bi3+ ions were successfully incorporated into TiO2 and extended the absorption of TiO2 into visible light region. The photocatalytic experiments showed that Bi-doped TiO2 nanofibers exhibited higher activities than sole TiO2 in the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and phenol under visible light irradiation (lambda > 420 nm), and 3% Bi:TiO2 samples showed the highest photocatalytic activities. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.