Mesoporous silica nanofibers and Ag-doped composite nanoribbons were synthesized by a facile combination of an electrospinning technique and the sol-gel method. Tetraethyl orthosilicate, polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), triblock poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(propylene oxide)-b-poly(ethylene oxide), copolymer Pluronic P123, and silver nitrate (AgNO3) were the components of sol for the production of Ag-doped hybrid silica ribbons. Heat removal of structure-directing agent PI 23 in the hybrid fibers at high temperatures resulted in a mesoporous morphology, and the degradation of PVP caused AgNO3 to convert into silver in the form of nanoparticles. The size and content of the particles in the hybrid ribbons could be controlled by the concentration of AgNO3 and thermal treatment conditions. Scanning electron microscopy, N-2 adsorption-desorption isotherm, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and UV-Vis spectroscopy were used to characterize the composite ribbons. The catalytic activity of the ribbons was evaluated by reduction of methylene blue dye and found to be better than in previous studies. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.