A recyclable catalyst of sliver nanoparticles well dispersed in mesoporous silica was successfully synthesized via a straight-forward strategy combining an electrospinning technique with post-calcination. The resulting mats containing silver nanoparticles 10 +/- 4 nmin size well dispersed inmesoporous silica fibers of 380 +/- 80 nm diameter presented surface plasma resonance of silver nanoparticles at 420 nm. The catalytic behavior of the nanofibers on the reduction of methylene blue and Congo red by NaBH4 was tracked and showed that the silver nanoparticles immobilized on the silica nanofiber matrix possessed excellent catalytic properties, which may hold great promise in effective and eco-friendly waste water treatment.