[en] Highlights: • A photocatalyst was developed to solve the electron hole pair’s recombination and slow surface catalytic reactions. • A synergism was formed between the built-in electric field and spatially separated co-catalysts to boost the H₂ evolution. • The H₂ evolution speed of Pt/TiO₂/CdS/Co₃O₄ hollow increased 540 times after spatially separated co-catalysts were added. The solar water splitting performance of a photocatalyst is limited by the recombination of electron-hole pairs and the slow surface catalytic reactions. To conquer these problems, a new kind of Pt/TiO₂/CdS/Co₃O₄ hollow spheres photocatalyst was proposed and synthesized. Its hydrogen evolution rate is 2000 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ under 100 mW cm⁻² visible light irradiation, which is over 540 times higher than that of TiO₂/CdS double-shelled hollow spheres under the same conditions. The enhancement can be attributed to the synergistic action between the built-in electric field and spatially separated co-catalysts. This work gives a way to greatly enhance the solar water splitting performance.