Abstract Highly UV driven WO x @ZnO nanocomposites were synthesized by liquid impregnation (LI) method. The presence of WO x particles on the surface of ZnO nanorods were verified by TEM and EDX mapping. In addition, the XPS analysis shows that the WO x nanoparticles were a mixture of WO 2 and WO 3 nanoparticles. The photocatalytic enhancement of WO x @ZnO nanocomposites in degrading RhB dye under UV light suggests that deposition of WO x could have pro-longed the separation of electrons (in WO x ) from the holes. More holes were able to diffuse to the surface of photocatalyst and directly oxidized the RhB dye molecules into less harmful by-products.