In this work, a novel alpha-SnWO4/SnO2 heterostructure was synthesized via a facile two-step hydrothermal method. The as-prepared products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scan electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which confirmed the typical orthorhombic alpha-SnWO4 phase, plate-like morphology and alpha-SnWO4/SnO2 heterostructure. The photocatalytic studies revealed that the attachment of SnO2 nanoparticles on the surface of alpha-SnWO4 plates can remarkably improve their photocatalytic activities and the alpha-SnWO4/SnO2 heterostructure exhibited the best photocatalytic properties in the degradation of methyl orange (MO) under visible light irradiation. The degradation rate of MO on alpha-SnWO4/SnO2 plate was 97% within 40 min and the photocatalytic degradation reaction followed the pseudo-first-order kinetics. The enhanced photocatalytic property was ascribed to the large surface area and the heterojuction between alpha-SnWO4 and SnO2, which can facilitate efficient charge separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Furthermore, alpha-SnWO4/SnO2 nanocomposite demonstrated good recyclability, which is useful for its practical application. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.