PbSb2O6 powder was synthesized by a solid-state reaction method. The specimen was characterized by X-ray diffraction and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra. PbSb2O6 has an intrinsic indirect band gap of 3.54 eV. Generally, the photocatalytic activity for degrading methylene blue over PbSb2O6 is higher than that over rutile-type TiO2 under UV light illumination. The catalytic performance was discussed in close conjunction with the calculated band structure and crystal structure. The mechanisms of the pH-dependent photodegradation were proposed. The effects of photocatalyst concentration and Pt loading in suspending aqueous solution were also presented. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.