Recently, finding a novel near-infrared (NIR) photocatalyst has been the focus in photocatalysis. Here, VS4 sub-microspheres with a chain-like structure were prepared via a facile solvothermal method. As a new photocatalyst, it presents excellent NIR photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical (PEC) activity. Theoretical calculations and experimental results demonstrate that the improved NIR photocatalytic property originated from the narrow band gap of VS4, which significantly improves the NIR light absorption. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.