A novel Fe3O4@SiO2@BiOBr photocatalyst was synthesized through a solvothermal method with the addition of core shell Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles. The results show that the photocatalyst is flower-like microspheres with diameters ranging from 2 mu m to 3 mu m. The as-prepared photocatalyst shows excellent photocatalytic performance in degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation (lambda >= 420 nm) with superior stability and reusability. The introduction of the silica interlayer can suppress the direct contact of the Fe3O4 core and BiOBr to a great extent, resulting in the increased separation efficiency of the photo-induced electron hole pairs and then higher photocatalytic performance. Furthermore, it can be completely recovered simply by applying an external magnetic field, indicating highly potential applications in wastewater treatment without secondary pollution. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.