Zinc-iron oxide hollow cages have been successfully synthesized in the form of thin films using a facile and template free electrochemical technique. The material has been structurally established using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The photocatalytic performance of the material has been explored by investigating the photodegradation of three widely used industrial dyes viz. Methylene Blue, Rose Bengal, and Solochrome Black-T. The synergistic integration between ZnOiry-Fe2O3 caused effective charge transfer mechanism and made the material an excellent photocatalyst as well as an electrode for the electrooxidation of methanol. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.