<p>K₂Ti₆O₁₃ (KTO)&#xa0;was synthesized using the ultrasound-assisted sol–gel method. Silver was incorporated in concentrations of 0.1, and 0.2% weight by the photo-deposition method. The Ag- K₂Ti₆O₁₃ composites were properly characterized by thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, FT-IR spectroscopy, UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and the Mott-Schottky electrochemical test. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated in the phenol photo-degradation reaction. The presence of the pure monoclinic crystalline phase of the K₂Ti₆O₁₃ was confirmed, as well as the presence of characteristic functional groups in titanates. The band gap value determined for all the materials was 3.35&#xa0;eV. The UV–Vis spectra of the phenol reaction samples indicate that degradation was achieved. The catalysts with the lowest Ag content show a higher photocatalytic activity toward the phenol degradation. The photocatalytic reaction carried out using bare KTO material achieved a 76% of mineralization, meanwhile, with the 0.1 Ag–KTO SG–U catalyst, 89% of the phenol molecule was mineralized.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>