In this study, Bi2WO6 doped with different barium contents were successfully prepared by a simple hydrothermal route at 180 degrees C for 12 h. The as-synthesized samples were characterized in detailed by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-vis diffusere flectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS) and Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) theory. Their photocatalytic activities were evaluated by photodegradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under simulated solar light. As a result, the photocatalytic properties were enhanced after Ba doping and the Ba-doped Bi2WO6 with R-Ba = 0.15 showed the highest photocatalytic activities of 96.3% RhB was decomposed in 50 min. Close investigation revealed that the proper Ba doped into Bi2WO6 could not only increases its BET surface area, decrease its crystalline size, but also act as electron traps and facilitate the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. The mechanism of enhanced photocatalytic activities of Ba-doped Bi2WO6 were further investigated. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.