ZnO/alpha-Fe2O3 nanosheets were synthesized via a total reflux and hydrothermal methods. XRD pattern analysis showed that a hexagonal structure and nano-sized crystallites with a mean size of about 35 nm. The photocatalytic activity was investigated on the photo-degradation of cefixime trihydrate drug in the aqueous solution under UV-vis irradiation. Under the optimized conditions, the maximum degradation efficiency was reached at 99.1% and the optimum values were found to be 0.41 gL(-1), 10.11 mgL(-1), 8 W.m(-2) and 127 min for ZnO/alpha-Fe2O3 concentration, cefixime trihydrate concentration, UV-vis light intensity and irradiation time, respectively. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.