LAUSR

Abstract A new nickel substituted silicotungstate ([Ni4(H2O)2(SiW10O38)2]8−, Ni2SiW10) was builded by NiCl2 and Na10SiW9O34 under mild conditions. It was used as a carbon-free homogeneous catalyst for the efficient visible-light-induced hydrogen production from water splitting with fluorescein sodium and triethanolamine as a photosensitizer and sacrificial electron donor, respectively. The initial rate of the H2 evolution was 239 μmol h−1, corresponding to a turnover frequency of 28 h−1. Further results suggested that a reductive process was dominant in the present system for fluorescein sodium, and the production of H2 came from water splitting.