This review focuses on the critical role of Cadmium sulfide (CdS)-based photocatalysts in organic oxidation coupled with hydrogen (H₂) production. On the basis of outlining its fundamental principles, the review provides a detailed discussion of the key advancements in CdS-based photocatalysts in coupling reactions for H2 production and organic oxidation, including organic conversion, organic coupling, and organic degradation.

The coupling of photocatalytic organic oxidation and hydrogen (H₂) production is an efficient strategy for converting solar energy into chemical energy, enabling simultaneous targeted conversion of organic matter and clean energy production. Cadmium sulfide (CdS), as a typical semiconductor-based photocatalyst, has attracted much attention in various coupled reactions of organic oxidation and H₂ production due to their suitable bandgap (≈2.4 eV) and well-matched energy band edge positions. This review summarizes the fundamental principles of CdS-based photocatalysts in light-driven organic oxidation coupled with H₂ production. On this basis, the review provides a detailed discussion of the key advancements in CdS-based photocatalysts in coupling reactions for H₂ production and organic oxidation, including organic conversion, organic coupling, and organic degradation. Through the synergistic effect of photoexcited electrons driving proton reduction to produce H₂ and holes leading the directed oxidation of organic substrates, the solar energy utilization efficiency is significantly enhanced. Finally, the challenges and future prospects of CdS-based photocatalysts for coupling light-driven organic synthesis with H₂ production are also presented.