Energy-Transfer Photocatalysis Using Lead Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals: Sensitizing Molecular Isomerization and Cycloaddition.

A relatively new addition to the application portfolio of lead halide perovskites is to photosensitize molecular triplets for a variety of photochemical applications. Here we report visible-light-driven isomerization and cycloaddition of organic molecules sensitized by spectrally-tunable perovskite nanocrystals. We first demonstrate with stilbene as the substrate molecule that photoisomerization can proceed efficiently and rapidly by either directly grafting carboxylated stilbene onto nanocrystal surfaces or using triplet-acceptor ligands as the energy relay. The relay approach is more generally applicable as it does not require anchoring-group functionalization of substrate molecules, allowing us to facilely extend it to isomerization of a series of substituted stilbene molecules and ring-closing isomerization of diarylethene, as well as intermolecular [2+2] cycloaddition of acenaphthylene. This study opens an avenue of energy-transfer photocatalysis using perovskite nanocrystals.