Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology Advances in Environmental Technology 2476-6674 12 3 2026 07 01 Highly efficient sunlight-powered photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B using Cu2Cr-LDH/TiO2 and Cu2Cr-LDH/BiOCl semiconductor nanocomposites 291 307 1675 10.22104/aet.2026.7739.2177 EN Ali Bouteiba Laboratory of Inorganic Materials Chemistry and Applications (LCMIA), Faculty of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of Oran (USTO M. B), Oran, Algeria GP1/Z Complex, Liquefaction and Separation Division (LQS), Sonatrach, Béthioua, Oran, Algeria Naceur Benhadria Higher School of Applied Sciences of Tlemcen (ESSA-Tlemcen), Tlemcen, Algeria Laboratory of Materials Chemistry (LCM), University of Oran 1 Ahmed Ben Bella, Oran, Algeria Nourredine Bettahar Laboratory of Inorganic Materials Chemistry and Applications (LCMIA), Faculty of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of Oran (USTO M. B), Oran, Algeria Journal Article 2025 09 09 This study explores the photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under sunlight irradiation using Cu2Cr-LDH/BiOCl and Cu2Cr-LDH/TiO2 nanocomposites. The structural, optical, and morphological properties of the materials were thoroughly examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The primary objective was to assess the photocatalytic efficiency of these nanocomposites in degrading RhB dye under sunlight. The Cu2Cr-LDH/BiOCl nanocomposite exhibited superior photocatalytic performance, achieving 90.29 % RhB degradation, significantly outperforming Cu2Cr-LDH/TiO2 (56.45%) and pure Cu2Cr-LDH (31.36%). This enhanced efficiency is attributed to the formation of a heterojunction between Cu2Cr-LDH and BiOCl, which facilitates effective separation and transfer of charge carriers. The improved photocatalytic activity is primarily attributed to the well-dispersed BiOCl phase on the Cu₂Cr-LDH surface, demonstrating that interfacial architecture plays a more critical role than simply increasing the Bi or Ti content. Hydroxyl radicals and holes were determined to be the primary active species responsible for the degradation process. Additionally, both nanocomposites demonstrated remarkable stability and reusability, retaining high catalytic efficiency over four consecutive cycles. A detailed photocatalytic mechanism was proposed to explain the enhanced activity of the nanocomposites, highlighting the synergistic effects of the heterojunction structure and efficient charge carrier dynamics. https://aet.irost.ir/article_1675_64f1f27bf1b4ec22924fd0acb550c235.pdf