The emergence of precise synthesis supported catalysts based on colloidal method is of fundamental interest for catalysis community. Stabilizer-ligands are necessary to be removed after synthesis process to get "clean" catalyst. Here we reported that a procedure, self-photodegradation in vacuum, could effectively remove the ligands on the surface of photocatalyst oxide without affecting the morphology and electron state of particle and support, while calcination method was identified to influence both of them. We showed how that would result in quite a different performance in photocatalysis hydrogen evolution from aqueous methanol solution. These results thus outlined a rational and green strategy for "collaborating" with photocatalysis process to build up designed supported catalyst architectures. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.