We reported a rapid one-step microwave-assisted approach to synthesize a plasmonic photocatalyst of ball-like AgBr nanoparticles (ca. 290 nm in average diameter) with a small amount of metal Ag anchored on the surface. The obtained Ag@AgBr nanocomposites were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The shape, size, and compositions of the Ag@AgBr photocatalysts could be controlled by tuning the microwave irradiation time and the concentrations of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) in the reaction solution. The as-prepared Ag@AgBr plasmonic photocatalysts show excellent visible-light photocatalytic performance and good reusability for decomposing organic pollutant of Rhodamine B (RhB) due to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect of Ag nanoparticles. Meanwhile, the possible degradation pathways of RhB and a mechanism of the plasmonic photocatalytic process were also proposed. (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.