Nanosized alpha-MnO2-supported silver catalysts (xAg/nano-MnO2, x = 0-10.0 wt%) were prepared by the incipient wetness impregnation method and characterized by means of numerous analytical techniques. Catalytic activities of the materials were evaluated for the oxidation of CO and benzene. It is shown that the loading of silver on nano-MnO2 could significantly modify the catalytic activities and the catalytic performance of xAg/nano-MnO2 strongly depended upon the Ag loading, among which 5Ag/nano-MnO2 performed the best for the addressed reactions. The excellent performance of 5Ag/nano-MnO2 was associated with the highly dispersed Ag, good low-temperature reducibility, and synergism at the interface of Ag and MnO2 nanodomains. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.