Visible light induced photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B and hydrogen generation from solar water splitting by hematite (alpha-Fe2O3) coated gold (Au) nanorods have been investigated, in which two types of alpha-Fe2O3/Au nanorods with different Au surfaces were synthesized and then carefully compared. Vertically aligned smooth Au nanorod and porous Au nanorod arrays were prepared by the electrodeposition method using anodized aluminum oxide templates, followed by deposition of hematite onto nanoporous Au nanorods and smooth Au nanorods to synthesize core/shell like nanostructure. The as-prepared samples were characterized by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, X-ray Diffraction, and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. Also, their photocatalytic activities were investigated by photodegradation of rhodamine B, photocurrent voltage, and incident photon to current conversion efficiency measurements under AM 1.5G light irradiation. Hematite (alpha-Fe2O3) coated porous Au nanorods showed better photocatalytic activities than alpha-Fe2O3 coated smooth Au nanorods, showing faster dye degradation rate, higher photocurrent density and better photon harvesting. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.