A rapid, eco-friendly, one-step electron beam (EB)-based method for both the reduction of graphene oxide and loading of Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) were achieved. Further, the effects of irradiation dose on the morphology of AgNPs and the sheet resistance of Ag nanoparticles/reduced graphene oxide (AgNPs/rGO) were studied. The results reveal that when the irradiation dose increased from 70 kGy to 350 kGy, the size of the AgNPs decreased and became uniformly distributed over the surface of the rGO nanosheets. However the size of the AgNPs increased when the irradiation dose reached 500 kGy. Four-point probe measurement showed that the sheet resistance of the AgNPs/rGO films decreased with decreasing AgNPs size. The lowest sheet resistivity of 0.06 Omega m was obtained in the film corresponding to 350 kGy irradiation dose, which showed a much lower resistivity than the GO film (5.04 x 10(5) Omega m). The formation mechanisms of the as-prepared AgNPs/rGO nanocomposites were proposed. This study provides a fast and eco-friendly EB irradiation induced method to controlling the dimensions of AgNPs/rGO nanocomposites, which can strongly support the mass production of AgNPs/rGO nanocomposites for practical applications. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.