Nanocrystalline TiO2, CeO2 and CeO2-doped TiO2 have been successfully prepared by one-step flame spray pyrolysis (FSP). Resulting powders were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), N-2-physisorption, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and UV-Vis spectrophotometry. The TiO2 and CeO2-doped TiO2 nanopowders were composed of single-crystalline spherical particles with as-prepared primary particle size of 10-13 nm for Ce doping concentrations of 5-50 at%, while square-shape particles with average size around 9 nm were only observed from flame-made CeO2. The adsorption edge of resulting powder was shifted from 388 to 467 nm as the Ce content increased from 0 to 30 at% and there was an optimal Ce content in association with the maximum absorbance. This effect is due to the insertion of Ce3+/4+ in the TiO2 matrix, which generated an n-type impurity band. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.