Lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) have been regarded as a promising potential photocatalyst, owing to their high molar extinction coefficient, low economic cost, adjustable light absorption range, and ample surface active sites. However, the toxicity of lead and its inherent instability in water and polar solvents could hinder their wide application in the field of photocatalysis. Herein, with α-alkylation of aldehydes as a model reaction, C-C bond-forming is demonstrated in high yield by using lead-free double perovskite Cs2 AgSbCl6 NCs under visible light irradiation. Moreover, the photocatalytic performance is simply improved by rational control of the surface ligands and a reaction mechanism involving a radical intermediate is proposed. Although the stability requires further amelioration, the results indicate the enormous potential of lead-free double perovskite NC photocatalysts for organic synthesis and chemical transformations.
Keywords: C−C coupling; alkylation; nanocrystals; perovskites; photocatalysis.
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