This paper focuses on the bi-metal co-catalyst of CdS in hydrogen generation from water-splitting under visible light. According to the experimental results, the photo-activity is significantly promoted as bimetal co-catalyst modified on the surface of CdS. The H-2 evolution rate of Pt-Ru/CdS, 18.35 mmol/h/gCat, is ca. 1.7 times as much as that of Pt/CdS, and 2.9 times as much as that of Ru/CdS. XRD, HRTEM coupled with EDX and ED, HAADF-STEM along with corresponding elements mapping, and XPS were applied to characterize the bi-metal structure of Pt-Ru NPs. PL lifetime testing of Pt-Ru/CdS indicated that the high active of Pt-Ru/CdS lied in its high separation efficiency, which might be caused by the cooperative interaction between Pt and Ru. Based on the studies in this paper, we suggested that both of the composition and structure of the co-catalyst may have significant effect on the photo-catalytic property of CdS in hydrogen generation from water splitting under visible light. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.