Pure and Sm-loaded brookite nanoparticles and thin films were prepared using TiCl4 as precursor of TiO2. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), specific surface area (SSA) determination, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and photoluminescence (PL) measurements. The photocatalytic activity of the powders was investigated by employing the photodegradation of 4-nitrophenol in a liquid-solid system whilst the photoreactivity of the films was tested by evaluating the rate of degradation of 2-propanol in a gas-solid system. Loading with Sm resulted in a significant improvement of the photoreactivity of brookite and the beneficial effect was attributed to an increased separation efficiency of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs. The content of samarium was an important factor affecting the photocatalytic activity. The optimum amount of samarium was 1% for the powders and 0.1% for the films. There is a relationship between PL spectra and photoactivity, namely, the lower the PL intensity, the higher the photocatalytic activity. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.