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[Display omitted] • A rod-like precursor is generated by preconditioning melamine with cyanuric, and the specific surface area of the produced g-C 3 N 4 is enlarged comparing to the one from pristine melamine. • The g-C 3 N 4 synthesized from the preconditioned melamine exhibits a maize-like structure. • The specific surface area of g-C 3 N 4 synthesized from the preconditioned melamine has a negative correlation with the amount of the precursor used and is positively associated with the volume of the crucible used. • Enlarging specific surface area by the method in this paper can provide g-C 3 N 4 with enhanced charge separation property and improved photocatalytic dye degradation performance. The synthesis of g-C 3 N 4 with a large specific surface area is highly desirable for developing g-C 3 N 4 -based photocatalysts with good activity. Herein, the specific surface area of g-C 3 N 4 was enlarged by preconditioning its raw material via a preassembly method, and the prepared g-C 3 N 4 , which has an enlarged specific surface area, exhibited a special maize-like structure. Interestingly, the specific surface area of this maize-like g-C 3 N 4 can be easily modulated by simply changing the amount of the special preconditioned precursor and the volume of the reaction cell used during the synthesis process, and the specific surface area can be enlarged to at least 224.11 m2/g. Several techniques, including transient-state photoluminescence spectroscopy, surface photovoltage response, and electrochemical measurements, confirmed that the charge separation property of g-C 3 N 4 is enhanced by enlarging its specific surface area, and it also exhibited increased photocatalytic degradation activities. This work provides a feasible strategy for designing high-performance g-C 3 N 4 -based photocatalytic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]