Seawater electrocatalysis: activity and selectivity

Seawater is considered to be a major hydrogen reservoir. However, the presence of multielements in seawater and their interference in electrochemistry, especially the chlorine chemistry, makes the electrocatalytic water splitting of seawater very challenging and still not completely understandable. To make seawater electrolysis sustainable, the activity of electrocatalysts may not be the only parameter, but the selectivity of the efficient oxygen evolution reaction suppressing the corrosive chlorine chemistry is highly desirable. Thereby, the current review not only focuses on fundamentals to understand the mechanisms involved in the anode and cathode, but also discusses different electrocatalysts, factors affecting their performance, and finally the rational design of electrolyzers finding the possibilities towards commercialization.

Automated summary

Seawater is considered a major hydrogen reservoir, but the presence of multielements and interference in electrochemistry, particularly chlorine chemistry, make electrocatalytic water splitting challenging. To achieve sustainable seawater electrolysis, focus should not only on electrocatalyst activity but also on selective oxygen evolution reaction to suppress corrosive chlorine chemistry.