This study aimed to use hydrothermal-microwave process to synthesize hybrid Ag-CuO nanomaterials. The effects of different irradiation time ranging 5-20 min, and reaction temperatures ranging 120-180 degrees C on the structure and optical properties of the samples were studied. The X-ray diffraction assessments indicated that the synthesized nanomaterials had Ag and CuO phases. The elemental analyses confirmed the presence of Ag, Cu, and O in the samples. Transmission electron microscopy images revealed non-regular and impacted shapes of Ag and CuO. Increasing the reaction temperature and irradiation time increased the absorption intensity of the samples. Furthermore, increasing the irradiation time induced a shift in the absorption edge towards larger wavelengths (red shift), while increasing the reaction temperature shifted it towards smaller wavelengths (blue shift). (C) 2016 The Society of Powder Technology Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. and The Society of Powder Technology Japan. All rights reserved.