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A novel N H TiO 2 photocatalyst was prepared via hydrothermal synthesis followed by a thermal treatment in NH 3 and H 2 atmospheres. The results showed that benzene with the initial concentration of 150 ppm (±5 ppm) could be thoroughly removed by N H TiO 2 under visible light irradiation. The influences of doping and hydrogenation on properties of TiO 2 samples were investigated. It is suggested that the disordered surface layer introduced by hydrogenation contributes to the excellent photocatalytic activity of N H TiO 2 . The synergistic effect of N doping and surface oxygen vacancies was also confirmed by ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectra and photoluminescence. Moreover, the diverse role of oxygen vacancies in different positions of TiO 2 has been focused on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]