A series of Ce1 - xZrxO2/silica fiber composites were successfully synthesized via a carbon nanofiber (CNF) template-assisted alcohol-thermal procedure. The resulting samples were characterized by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) apparatus, and Raman spectroscopy. Furthermore, their photocatalytic activities were evaluated by UV-light photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) solution. The results show that the photocatalytic degradation of MB was fairly effective for the as-prepared Ce1 - xZrxO2/silica fiber samples. Particularly, with zirconium (Zr) doping, Ce0.75Zr0.25O2/silica fiber composites clearly exhibit enhanced photocatalytic efficiencies, compared with CeO2/silica fiber samples. The incorporation of Zr into the CeO2 lattice not only causes a decrease in particle size but also brings about an increase in BET specific area and UV absorption ability, which should be responsible for the enhanced photocatalytic performance. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.