A series of ternary chalcogenides, zinc indium sulphide (ZnIn2S4), were synthesized by a simple solvothermal method with different solvents. The structure, textural, and optical properties of the resulting materials were thoroughly characterized by several techniques. The as-prepared ZnIn2S4 samples could all be employed as excellent photocatalysts to activate O-2 for selective oxidation of aromatic alcohols to aromatic aldehydes under visible light illumination. The results showed that ZnIn2S4 prepared in ethanol solvent (ZIS-EtOH) exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity among the screened samples. The differences of photocatalytic performance for ZnIn2S4 samples prepared in different media were mainly attributed to the different levels of exposed {0001} special facets caused by the exposure extent of the basic crystal plane. In addition, O-.(2)- and positive holes were proved to be the main active species during the photocatalytic process. Combined with the previous reports, a possible photocatalytic mechanism for the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde over ZnIn2S4 sample was proposed. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.