Fabrication of hybrid nanostructures with complex morphologies and high photocatalytic activity is a difficult challenge because these particles require extremely high preparation skills and are not always practical. Here, hierarchical flower-like Au@CdS-CdS nanoparticles (Au@CdS-CdS nanoflowers) have been synthesized using a stepwise method. The Au@CdS-CdS nanoflowers are consisted of Au core, CdS shell, and CdS nanorods. The UV-Vis absorption range of the Au@CdS-CdS nanoflowers reaches up to 850 nm which covers the whole visible range (400–760 nm). Photoinduced charge transfer property of Au@CdS-CdS nanoflowers was demonstrated using photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Compared to CdS counterparts and Au@CdS counterparts, Au@CdS-CdS nanoflowers demonstrated the highest photocatalytic degradation rate under irradiation of λ = 400–780 nm and λ = 600–780 nm, respectively. Based on structure and morphology analyses, we have proposed a possible formation mechanism of the hybrid nanostructure which can be used to guide the design of other metal-semiconductor nanostructures with complex morphologies.

Semiconductor materials with pore structure have excellent physicochemical properties for photocatalytic reactions. Here, the one-step vulcanization of Cd-based MOF solid rods was successfully developed to synthesize two kinds of CdS rods with pore structure: hollow rods (HRs) and mesoporous rods (MRs). Among the three catalysts, the CdS HRs showed the highest photocatalytic efficiency, which could remove about 96.0% of RhB in 30 min under visible light irradiation. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of CdS HRs benefits from its novel hollow structure, which enhances the visible light absorption capability and the separation efficiency of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. The successful synthesis of CdS HRs has guiding significance for the design and synthesis of other hollow structures with high photocatalytic activity.

Structural engineering represents one of the effective strategies for enhancing the performance of semiconductor photocatalysts. Herein, cadmium sulfide nanoparticles with interconnected channel structures (CdS CNPs) were successfully synthesized via an anion exchange method. The as-prepared CdS CNPs exhibited a unique walnut-like morphology and possessed well-defined internal channel structures. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis indicated that the channel inside originates from the substitution of citrate ligands in the CdS/Cd‑Cit precursor by S²⁻ ions. Compared with solid CdS nanoparticles (NPs), the CdS CNPs exhibited a larger specific surface area and stronger visible light absorption capacity. Under visible light irradiation, the degradation rate of Rhodamine B by CdS CNPs was more than five times higher than that by CdS NPs. This work on CdS CNPs paves a new pathway for the rational design of high-performance single-component photocatalysts via structural engineering.