Rationally Designing Efficient Electrocatalysts for Direct Seawater Splitting: Challenges, Achievements, and Promises

Directly splitting seawater to produce hydrogen provides a promising pathway for energy and environmental sustainability. However, current seawater splitting faces many challenges because of the sluggish kinetics, the presence of impurities, membrane contamination, and the competitive chloride oxidation reaction at the anode, which makes it more difficult than freshwater splitting. This Review firstly introduces the basic mechanisms of the anode and cathode reactions during seawater splitting. We critically analyze the primary principles for designing catalysts for seawater splitting in terms of both the hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions, including with noble metal, noble metal free, and metal-free…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 21972051, 22122202, 22072051
• NS
  Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province

  Award: 2021CFB329
• NK
  National Key Research and Development Program of China

  Award: 2021YFA1600800
• FR
  Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities

  Award: 2019kfyXJJS003
• BA
  Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province

  Award: 2021A1515012343