ABSTRACT Cd@ZnS microspheres with diameters of ~ 4 μm and a shell thickness of about ~ 1 μm have been successfully fabricated via green, ecofriendly solvothermal approach. These microspheres are tailored using chelating agent ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid, non-ionic surfactant poly ethylene glycol (PEG) and precursor thioacetamide. The structural information such as phase, size and morphology of prepared microspheres is characterised using X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) while the optical properties are studied using optical absorption of as prepared products. It is found that cubic phase of prepared products formed with tiny constituent as crystallites are about ~ 15 nm in size, as indicated by TEM observation. Temporal-dependent photoconductive response characteristics are quantitatively analysed thoroughly. The results clearly demonstrate that the fabrication of Cd@ZnS microspheres-based photoconductive devices will have potential applications in the future optoelectronics as optical switching and visible-light photodetectors.