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• LSPR effect enhanced Z-scheme ZnO/Au/g-C 3 N 4 micro needles film (3-ZAC) has been prepared for the photoreduction of CO 2 into CO under UV–vis light irradiation. • Au NPs at the interface of ZnO/g-C 3 N 4 not only act as the electron-transfer bridge, but also as LSPR excited source to speed up the separation of electron-hole pairs photogenerated in the semiconductors. • DFT calculation and FDTD simulation methods has been used to prove the transfer processes of photogenerated electron. The photoproduction of CO from the photocatalytic CO 2 reduction process has been evidenced from 13C isotope tracer tests. • This work demonstrates the importance of the build-in electric field formed at g-C 3 N 4 /ZnO interface and local electromagnetic field of Au NPs for the photoreduction process, providing an inspiring concept for future advancement in this area. Local Surface Plasma Resonance (LSPR) effect enhanced Z-scheme ZnO/Au/g-C 3 N 4 micro-needles film (3-ZAC) has been prepared for the photoreduction of CO 2 into CO under UV–vis light irradiation. Photoreduction experiments show that 3-ZAC has the excellent photocatalytic performance and reusability. The CO production can be achieved 689.7 μmol/m2 after 8 h reaction time, which is 4.5 higher than that of the pure ZnO film. 13C isotope test shows that CO is produced from CO 2 by photoreduction. DFT calculations confirm that build-in electric field formed at g-C 3 N 4 /ZnO interface effectively promoted the electron transfer efficiency in Z-scheme interface. FDTD simulations prove that Au NPs not only act as electron-transfer bridge, but also as LSPR excited source to speed up the separation of electron-hole pairs. In-situ FTIR technique was used to investigate the CO 2 photoreduction process. The above characteristics together maximize the electron transfer efficiency, which causes the material has enhanced photocatalytic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]