Urchin-like nanostructures of ZnO were synthesized by one-step hydrothermal method and their morphology was optimized via the hydrothermal temperature -the key parameter in controlling the morphologies of the ZnO materials. The photoabsorbance of the urchin-like ZnO nanomaterials was expanded from the intrinsic UV absorption range to the visible region by depositing the plasmonic Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) on the ZnO surface. The synthesized visible-active AuNPs-ZnO urchin-like composite material showed an excellent photocatalytic activity. As a result of the shape effect, the impact of the AuNPs on the photocatalytic activity of the urchin-like ZnO is found to increase about 30% in comparison to that of the reported conventional ZnO nanorods. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.