Ag/BiVO4 composite photocatalysts were hydrothermal synthesized and characterized by XRD, SEM, XPS and DRS techniques. Their photocatalytic activities were determined by oxidative decomposition of methyl orange in aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. It revealed that the doped Ag species greatly improved the visible light absorption abilities and morphologies of the composites, and thus lead to enhanced photocatalytic activities compared with that of the pure BiVO4. (C) 2009 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.