The controlled synthesis of nanohybrids composed of noble metals (Au, Ag, Pt and Pd, as well as AuAg alloy) and metal oxides (ZnO, TiO₂, Cu₂O and CeO₂) have received considerable attention for applications in photocatalysis, solar cells, drug delivery, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy and many other important areas. The overall architecture of nanocomposites is one of the most important factors dictating the physical properties of nanohybrids. Noble metals can be coupled to metal oxides to yield diversified nanostructures, including noble metal decorated-metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs), nanoarrays, noble metal/metal oxide core/shell, noble metal/metal oxide yolk/shell and Janus noble metal–metal oxide nanostructures. In this review, we focus on the significant advances in tailored nanostructures of noble metal–metal oxide nanohybrids. The improvement in performance in the representative solar energy conversion applications including photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants, photocatalytic hydrogen generation, photocatalytic CO₂ reduction, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are discussed. Finally, we conclude with a perspective on the future direction and prospects of these controllable nanohybrid materials.

Assisted by NIR light, the obtained Co-Pi/PANI/BiVO ₄ photoanode achieves a remarkable water oxidation photocurrent of 4.05 mA cm ⁻² at 1.23 V _RHE .

The photothermal effect of CQDs is introduced to promote the bulk charge transport and surface oxidation kinetics of Co-Pi/CQDs/Fe₂O₃/TiO₂ photoanodes simultaneously, resulting in a remarkably enhanced PEC water splitting performance.

Rapid recombination of photoinduced electron–hole pairs is one of the major defects in graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C₃N₄)‐based photocatalysts. To address this issue, perforated ultralong TiO₂ nanotube‐interlaced g‐C₃N₄ nanosheets (PGCN/TNTs) are prepared via a template‐based process by treating g‐C₃N₄ and TiO₂ nanotubes polymerized hybrids in alkali solution. Shortened migration distance of charge transfer is achieved from perforated PGCN/TNTs on account of cutting redundant g‐C₃N₄ nanosheets, leading to subdued electron–hole recombination. When PGCN/TNTs are employed as photocatalysts for H₂ generation, their in‐plane holes and high hydrophilicity accelerate cross‐plane diffusion to dramatically promote the photocatalytic reaction in kinetics and supply plentiful catalytic active centers. By having these unique features, PGCN/TNTs exhibit superb visible‐light H₂‐generation activity of 1364 µmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹ (λ > 400 nm) and a notable quantum yield of 6.32% at 420 nm, which are much higher than that of bulk g‐C₃N₄ photocatalysts. This study demonstrates an ingenious design to weaken the electron recombination in g‐C₃N₄ for significantly enhancing its photocatalytic capability.