Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) induced by Au nanorods was employed to enhance the catalytic activity of Pd-driven Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction under light irradiation at ambient temperatures. The optical properties of the obtained Pd-Au/SiO2 samples were investigated by UV-vis spectroscopy, which exhibit intense absorption bands in the low energy region, and the ratio between Pd NPs and Au nanorods has a significant impact on turning the optical property and catalytic performance of Pd-Au alloy. The optimized weight ratio of Pd-Au hybrid catalyst for Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction under light irradiation was found to be 1:0.5. The enhanced activity can be attributed to the cooperative promoting effects between Au nanorods and Pd nanoparticles in effective conversion of solar energy for generation of energetic electrons to activate the palladium and increasing temperature in the reaction solution. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.