Well-defined BiOCl colloidal ultrathin nanosheets: synthesis, characterization, and application in photocatalytic aerobic oxidation of secondary amines

We demonstrate the first colloidal synthesis of single-crystalline BiOCl ultrathin nanosheets (UTNSs) that feature a well-defined square morphology. Unlike BiOCl nanomaterials prepared by hydrothermal routes, our colloidal BiOCl UTNSs exhibit hydrophobic surface properties and high activity and selectivity toward the photocatalytic aerobic oxidation of secondary amines to corresponding imines at room temperature. Hence, the application of BiOCl nanomaterials has been successfully extended from the widely studied photodecomposition of pollutants in aqueous solution to the synthesis of fine chemicals in organic solvent using a green approach.