Core-shell structure of mesoporous vanadium carbide nanoparticles encapsulated with carbon layers (m-VC@C) have been successfully synthesized by single-step, non-toxic and economical route. The texture, morphology and optical properties of the obtained product were studied by various characterization techniques. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the optimization of reaction time facilitates the reduction process of the precursor and hence carburization. High resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis reveals that the synthesized vanadium carbide nanoparticles with average size of 30 -40 nm were encapsulated in 20-22 layers of carbon. High thermal stability of the obtained product was found at high temperatures. N-2 adsorption/desorption isotherm shows that the sample has a specific surface area of 62.4560 m(2)/g and pore volume 0.30 cm(3)/g with pore size in the mesoporous range (3 -14 nm). The formation mechanism of carbide and carbon layer has been explained on the basis of experimental results. The as-obtained m-VC@C shows good absorption and luminescence properties. Its application in photocatalytic degradation of the organic pollutant has been studied. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.