NbSe2 Nanosheet Supported PbBiO2Br as a High Performance Photocatalyst for the Visible Light-driven Asymmetric Alkylation of Aldehyde

Visible light photoredox catalysis has been demonstrated to be a promising and green strategy for organic synthesis. In this study, a nanocomposite of PbBiO2Br nanoparticles and NbSe2 nanosheet was prepared as a high performance photocatalyst for the visible light-driven asymmetric alkylation of aldehyde. It was found that the introduction of a small amount of NbSe2 (0.5 wt %) to the PbBiO2Br semiconductor could result in similar to 50% increase in the yield of the final product. This study shows that NbSe2 nanosheets can be used as an efficient support to suppress the recombination of photoinduced electron hole pairs and contribute to the enhanced photocatalytic performances of semiconductors in the visible light-driven catalysis.