A new vi sible-light-driven photocatalyst In12NCr2Ti10O42 crystallized in a monoclinic system with the space group P2(1)/a was synthesized by a solid-state reaction method. The photophysical and photocatalytic properties of In12NiCr2Ti10O42 were investigated. The band gap energy was estimated from the U-V-vis diffuse reflectance spectrum to be similar to 2.14 eV. Efficient H, was evolved from aqueous methanol solution over Pt (0.2wt%)In12NiCr2Ti10O42 powder photocatalyst under visible light irradiation. A possible band structure for In12NiCr2Ti10O42 was proposed in accordance with the crystal structure, photophysical and photocatalytic properties. The present study suggests a promising method for the development of visible-light-responsive photocatalysts with tailed properties by properly utilizing appropriate transition metals. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.