Novel Zn-doped CdSe photocatalysts were synthesized by a mild hydrothermal route. The as-prepared products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis. The as-synthesized photocatalysts efficiently catalyzed the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solutions under visible light irradiation, exhibiting higher photocatalytic activity than commercially available photocatalysts such as P25 and CdSe. The effects of the treatment temperature of the photocatalysts, the different zinc contents, the quantity of the photocatalysts, and the concentration of MB on photocatalytic performance were also investigated. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.