Integration of Lanthanide–Transition‐Metal Clusters onto CdS Surfaces for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

Heterometallic lanthanide–transition‐metal (4f–3d) clusters with well‐defined crystal structures integrate multiple metal centers and provide a platform for achieving synergistic catalytic effects. Herein, we present a strategy for enhanced hydrogen evolution by loading atomically precise 4f–3d clusters Ln52Ni56 on a CdS photoabsorber surface. Interestingly, some Ni2+ ions in the clusters Ln52Ni56 were exchanged by the Cd2+ to form Ln52Ni56−xCdx/CdS composites. Photocatalytic studies show that the efficient synergistic multipath charge separation and transfer from CdS to the Eu52Ni56−xCdx cluster enable high visible‐light‐driven hydrogen evolution at 25 353 μmol h−1 g−1. This work provides the strategy to design highly active photocatalytic hydrogen evolution catalysts by assembling heterometallic 4f–3d clusters on semiconductor materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]