Various cation and nitrogen doped and codoped TiO 2 photocatalysts, such as N–TiO 2 , Pt–TiO 2 , N–Fe–TiO 2 , N–Ni–TiO 2 , N–Ag–TiO 2 and N–Pt–TiO 2 , were prepared by an acid-catalysed sol–gel process. The photocatalysts were characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms, UV–visible diffuse reflectance absorption spectroscopy (UV–vis DRS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The activities of the photocatalysts were evaluated in photodegradation of phenol solutions under simulated sunlight irradiations. A negative effect of some transition metals (iron and nickel) on photocatalysis was observed on N-metal codoped TiO 2 , while enhancements in photocatalysis from noble metals (silver and platinum) were obtained. N–Pt codoped TiO 2 showed a higher activity under UV–vis irradiations than Degussa P25, with an enhancement of 5.9times higher. The synergistic effect of N–Pt-codoping was ascribed to the multivalent states of platinum. In addition, photocatalytic activity of N-, Pt-doped and N–Pt-codoped materials were further investigated under visible light irradiations with λ>430nm and λ>490nm. This study therefore demonstrated a promising strategy for design of highly efficient photocatalysts for remediation of aqueous pollutants.