Through the incorporation of Pb2+ into the [Bi2O2] layers, the BiPbO2Cl nanosheets with layered structure have been successfully synthesized by one-step solvothermal method. The lattice parameters of tetragonal BiPbO2Cl are a = 3.9417(2) angstrom and c= 12.3957(6) angstrom, where the c value is considerably smaller than previous results. The structure of BiPbO2Cl was then readdressed through Rietveld refinement and aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope investigations. The photo-decomposition experiments demonstrated that BiPbO2Cl nanosheet exhibits high photocatalytic activity, which is 12.6 times higher than that of BiPbO2Cl bulk. The photocurrent measurement suggests a more efficient photoinduced charge separation and transfer in BiPbO2Cl nanosheet. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.