| Summary: | WO<sub>3</sub> is a known photocatalytic metal oxide frequently studied for its depollution properties. However, it suffers from a high recombination rate of the photogenerated electron/holes pair that is detrimental to its performance. In this paper, we present a new chemical method to decorate WO<sub>3</sub> nanoleaves (NLs) with a complementary metal oxide (ZnWO<sub>4</sub>) in order to improve the photocatalytic performance of the composite material for the abatement of 400 ppb NO<sub>2</sub> under mild UV exposure. Our strategy was to synthesize WO<sub>3</sub>·2H<sub>2</sub>O nanoleaves, then, to expose them, in water-free organic solution, to an organometallic precursor of Zn(Cy)<sub>2</sub>. A structural water molecule from WO<sub>3</sub>·2H<sub>2</sub>O spontaneously decomposes Zn(Cy)<sub>2</sub> and induces the formation of the ZnO@WO<sub>3</sub>·H<sub>2</sub>O nanocomposite. The material was characterized by electronic microscopy (SEM, TEM), TGA, XRD, Raman and solid NMR spectroscopies. A simple thermal treatment under air at 500 °C affords the ZnWO<sub>4</sub>@WO<sub>3</sub> nanocomposite. The resulting material, additionally decorated with 1% wt. Au, presents a remarkable increase (+166%) in the photocatalytic abatement of NO<sub>2</sub> under UV compared to the pristine WO<sub>3</sub> NLs. This synthesis method paves the way to the versatile preparation of a wide range of MOx@WO<sub>3</sub> nanocomposites (MOx = metal oxide).
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