Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) were used to enhance the fluorescence properties of nanofibers containing the Tb(acac)(3)phen (Tb = terbium, acac = acetylacetone, phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) complex. Tb(acac)(3)phen/PLLA//Ag-NPs/PVP (PLLA = polylacticacid, PVP = polyvinylpyrroliclone) core-sheath fluorescence nanofibers were prepared by coaxial electrospinning. SEM images demonstrated that the fibers had an average diameter of 550 nm. TEM images illustrated that the Ag-NPs and Tb(acac)(3)phen were uniformly dispersed in the outer and inner fibrous layers in the form of nanoparticles and molecular clusters, respectively. The fluorescence intensity of the Tb(acac)(3)phen/PLLA//Ag-NPs/PVP core-sheath nanofibers with a molar ratio Ag/Tb of 1 increased by 69%, the quantum efficiency increased by 53%, and the fluorescence lifetime increased by 4% over those of the fibers without Ag-NPs because of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect of Ag-NPs. The prepared fibers with a core-sheath structure have great potential in a wide range of fluorescence applications. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.