The invention discloses a photo-thermal catalytic hydrogenation catalyst as well as a preparation method and application thereof. The photo-thermal catalytic hydrogenation catalyst is prepared from amesoporous carbon microsphere carrier, and carbon quantum dots and metal quantum dots which are loaded on the surface of the carrier; the size of the catalyst is 50 to 100nm; the grain diameter rangeof the carbon quantum dots is 1 to 4nm; the metal quantum dots are one or a combination of two of palladium quantum dots and platinum quantum dots; the grain diameter range of the metal quantum dots is 10 to 15nm; in the catalyst, the mass percent of the carbon quantum dots and the metal quantum dots is 10 to 30 percent and 1 to 2 percent respectively. The photo-thermal catalytic hydrogenation catalyst provided by the invention is applied to reaction of selectively carrying out catalytic hydrogenation on hydroquinone under the irradiation of ultraviolet light with the wavelength of 200 to 280nm to synthesize 1,4-cyclohexanediol, and has the characteristics of high conversion rate, good selectivity and good stability.