To boost photocatalytic activity in selective oxidation of alcohols on ultrathin Bi2MoO6 nanoplates with Pt nanoparticles as cocatalyst

- The ultrathin Bi2MoO6 nanoplates were fabricated via a facile, template-free solvothermal method.
- The ultrathin Bi2MoO6 nanoplates show high performance and selectivity in photocatalytic oxidation of alcohol.
- Pt nanoparticles as cocatalyst benefit the photocatalytic oxidation of alcohol.
- Adsorption behavior of benzyl alcohol and benzaldehyde affects the selectivity of benzyl alcohol oxidation.
- The oxygen is reduced to water through superoxide radicals.

Photocatalytic oxidation reactions provide a promising strategy for green synthesis of fine chemicals. However, the low photocatalytic efficiency and selectivity are the main obstacles. Herein, we report the ultrathin Bi2MoO6 nanoplates with thickness of ∼17 nm which exhibit a superior performance in alcohol oxidation to corresponding aldehyde using O2 under visible light irradiation, achieving ca. 29 times enhancement of activity compared with Bi2MoO6 synthesized from traditional hydrothermal method (thickness of ∼250 nm). When Pt nanoparticles as cocatalyst are loaded on the surface of the ultrathin Bi2MoO6 nanoplates, the photocatalytic performance is further enhanced. The remarkable enhancement of activity is attributed to the ultrathin 2D geometry of Bi2MoO6 nanoplates, promoting the charge-separation efficiency and affording abundant catalytically active sites. The excellent selectivity of photocatalytic oxidation of benzyl alcohol on the ultrathin Bi2MoO6 is attributed to the different adsorption behaviors of benzyl alcohol and benzaldehyde. This study could also provide an efficient strategy for improving the photocatalytic performance by rational fabrication of two-dimensional semiconductor materials for organic synthesis.

83