Novel composite photocatalysts BiOBr/Bi(C2O4)OH were successfully fabricated via a chemical etching method. After flower-like Bi(C2O4)OH microstructure assembled by nanorods was etched by KBr under an appropriate acidic condition, BiOBr nano -rods could be in-situ generated in nanorods, forming a heterostructure. The heterostructures exhibited a commendable photocatalytic performance toward the degradation of rhodamine B under the visible light irradiation. The effective separation and transfer of the photogenerated electrons and holes were believed to be the main factor for the enhanced activity, which resulted from the intrinsic characteristic of p-n junction. The responsible mechanism was detailedly discussed, and the photogenerated holes and .O-2(-) radicals were confirmed to be the main active species for the photodegradation of RhB. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.