TiO2/Au had been prepared readily from tetrabutyl titanate and chloroauric acid by in situ solvothermal method. SEM, XRD, UV-vis, FTIR, etc were used for characterizing the morphology, crystal structure, and optical performance of TiO2 and TiO2/Au. The photocatalytic degradation performance on methyl orange and antibacterial properties against Escherichia coli of TiO2 and TiO2/Au were studied. The results showed that the TiO2/Au both possessed superior photocatalytic properties under simulated or nature sunlight. The photocatalytic degradation rate of TiO2/Au on methyl orange was up to 91.57% that was obviously better than TiO2 (65.13%). Moreover, TiO2 and TiO2/Au had significant antibacterial properties against Escherichia coli, and the inhibition rate was up to 99.89%. The activity of TiO2 and TiO2/Au was tested by ESR and H2-TPR for analyzing the mechanism of the improvement of the photocatalytic activity and antibacterial properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]