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Here we report a novel synthetic pathway for preparation of Cu-doped g -C 3 N 4 (Cu- g -C 3 N 4 ) with nanosheet morphology by using a two dimensional Cu–melamine supramolecular network as both sacrificial template and precursor. The specific surface area of Cu- g -C 3 N 4 is 40.86 m 2 g −1 , which is more than 7 times larger than that of pure g -C 3 N 4 . Cu- g -C 3 N 4 showed strong optical absorption in the visible-light region and expanded the absorption to the near-infrared region. The uniform nanosheet morphology, higher surface area and strong visible-light absorption have enabled Cu- g -C 3 N 4 exhibiting enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity for the photo-degradation of methylene blue (MB). The results indicate that metal–melamine supramolecular network can be promising precursors for the one step preparation of efficient metal-doped g -C 3 N 4 photocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]