SiO2-coated TiO2 powders were prepared by the chemical deposition method starting from rutile TiO2 and Na2SiO3. The SiO2-coated TiO2 powders were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Zeta-potential analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The evolution of island-like and uniform coating layers was found to depend upon the ratio of Na2SiO3 to TiO2, reaction temperature, and pH. The whiteness and brightness of the SiO2-coated TiO2 powders increased in response to an increase in the SiO2 loading, but there was a maximum value among the light scattering indexes. The SiO2-coated TiO2 powders possessed more negative Zeta potentials than the naked TiO2. The dispersibility of the SiO2-coated TiO2 powders with the continuous and uniform SiO2 coating layers was higher than that of the naked TiO2 and the SiO2-coated TiO2 powders with the island-like SiO2 coating layers. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.