Nd3+-doped TiO2 powders were prepared by the sol-gel method. Their crystal pattern and parameter, the specific surface area, the surface chemical state of Ti and the ratio of O/Ti were characterized. The results show that Nd impurity hinders the crystal transformation, and decreases the relative intensity of (101) peak. The crystallite sizes of Nd3+-doped TiO2 powders decrease while their specific surface area increase owing to the Nd3+ doping. The XPS measurement shows that the content of Ti(Ⅲ) and ratio of O/Ti on their surfaces increase significantly with the increase of Nd3+ dosage. The adsorption and photodegradation experiments show that the optimum molar content of Nd3+ is 1.2%.