Several titania-clay photocatalysts were synthesized by a novel route based on a sol-gel approach. The samples were prepared upon exfoliation of a layered clay by the incorporation of the TiO2 precursor. The effect of the clay/TiO2 ratio on the properties and solar photocatalytic activity of the resulting materials was analysed. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra, N-2 adsorption-desorption at -196 degrees C and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The photocatalytic performance was analyzed by the degradation of rhodamine B and phenol in water under solar light. The catalyst with intermediate clay/TiO2 ratio (1/2) showed the highest activity for the photodegradation of both pollutants. In the case of phenol photodegradation, with irradiation times of 24h fairly high mineralization was achieved with almost complete degradation of phenol and aromatic intermediates and a decrease of the initial ecotoxicity. The synergistic effect of the surface of the clay and the photocatalytic activity of TiO2, controlled by the amount and size of the anatase crystallized, enhances the activity of these titania-clay heterostructures, making them promising materials for solar photocatalytic applications. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.