Clean chemical fuels generation using heterogeneous photocatalysts is an emerging technology for sustainable energy research. However, the photo-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of benchmark photocatalysts still appear to be far from practice due to their limited light absorption of solar irradiation spectrum and poor excited carrier lifetime. In this work, novel heterostructured thin-film catalysts with periodically patterned morphology, exhibiting an enhanced light absorption , was developed. Both experimental studies and theoretical modeling demonstrate that the defects in the materials are responsible for the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR, visible light absorption) and tunable solar light absorption. The present study will open a new paradigm for direct solar energy harvesting using the rationalized thin-film catalysts.