The study reports the self-organization of CeO2 nanoparticles on highly dispersed ZnO6/SnO6 octahedral units provided by a layered double hydroxide by a simple and environment friendly synthesis procedure. The obtained catalysts were thoroughly investigated by XRD, TG/DTC, chemical analysis, Raman and UV-vis DR spectroscopic techniques in order to obtain information on their crystalline structure and identity, CeO2 content and photoresponsive properties. Furthermore, the controlled thermal treatment allowed us to obtain nano-coupled CeO2/ZnO/SnO2 systems with specific photocatalytic properties and their efficiency was tested for the phenol photodegradation under UV light. The data presented in this study shows that the phenol mineralization efficiency is strongly in relation with the presence of both the support and an optimum amount of CeO2 organized on the layered matrix. This study highlights the positive effect of the combinations of the strategic cations like Zn-Sn or Ce-Zn-Sn in a nano-architectural assembly able to utilize the collective properties of the components for enabling their cumulative photocatalytic properties for "green" removal of dangerous pollutants. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.