Ordered mesoporous silver nanoparticle/carbon composites have been produced by a "one-pot" synthesis method. They have open mesopores (4.2-5.0 nm), large specific surface areas (465-584 m(2) g(-1)) and high pore volumes (0.29-0.50 cm(3) g(-1)) and contain stable, confined but accessible Ag nanoparticles. As a result, they show high performance in catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). The mesostructure and particle size as a function of Ag content were studied and correlated with the catalytic activity. The ordered mesoporous carbon framework and highly dispersed Ag nanoparticles make the material a novel system for effective contacting with the reactants and catalysis of the reaction. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.