A type of CaIn2O4 particle was synthesized at a relatively low temperature by a solution-combustion method using calcium nitrate and indium nitrate as oxidizers and glycine as a fuel, followed by a high-temperature postannealing, during which the nanometric grains of the as-combusted CaIn2O4 powder self-assembled into nano-capsules, and subsequently the nano-capsules linked end to end to form the regular CaIn2O4 rods with the diameter of 300 nm and the length of about 2 mu m. The CaIn2O4 rods showed significantly higher photocatalytic activity for methylene blue degradation and toluene oxidation under visible-light irradiation than that of the sample synthesized by the conventional solid-state reaction. Particularly, the Pt-dispersed CaIn2O4 rods exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity for water decomposition under visible-light irradiation. The high crystallization degree, low impurity level and relatively large surface area of CaIn2O4 rods were considered as the important factors for its high photocatalytic performance.