Journal of Energy Chemistry ›› 2023, Vol. 80 ›› Issue (5): 658-688.DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2023.01.067

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Emerging trends of electrocatalytic technologies for renewable hydrogen energy from seawater: Recent advances, challenges, and techno-feasible assessment

Obaid Fahad Aldosaria,*, Ijaz Hussainb,*, Zuhair Malaibarib,c   

  1. aDepartment of Chemistry, College of Science, Majmaah University, P.O. Box 66, Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia;
    bCenter for Refining & Advanced Chemicals, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia;
    cDepartment of Chemical Engineering, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
  • Received:2022-12-06 Revised:2023-01-11 Accepted:2023-01-17 Online:2023-05-15 Published:2023-05-29
  • Contact: * E-mail addresses: O.Aldosari@mu.edu.sa (O. Fahad Aldosari), ijaz9292@gmail.com (I. Hussain).

Abstract: Hydrogen has been regarded as a promising renewable and green energy source to meet energy needs and attain net-zero carbon emissions. The electrolysis of seawater to make hydrogen is one of the fascinating developments of the twenty-first century. This method uses abundant and relatively inexpensive seawater, as opposed to freshwater, which is rare and can be prohibitively expensive. In recent years, significant research and advancements have been made in direct seawater electrolysis technology for hydrogen pro-duction. However, producing highly effective and efficient electrocatalysts with long-term viability under harsh corrosive conditions remains a challenging and severe topic for large-scale seawater electrolysis technology. There is still a large accomplishment gap in understanding how to improve seawater electrol-ysis to increase hydrogen yields and prolong stability. It is, therefore, crucial to have a condensed knowl-edge of the tunable and inherent interactions between various electrocatalysts, covering electrolyzer types and paying particular attention to those with high efficiency, chemical stability, and conductivity. The extensive discussion is structured into a progression from noble metals to base metal compounds such as oxides, alloys, phosphides, chalcogenides, hydroxides, and nitrides, MXene-based complexes with a con-cise examination of hybrid electrocatalysts. In addition, proton exchange membranes, anion exchange membranes, alkaline water electrolyzers, and high-temperature water electrolyzers were potential con-tributors to seawater's electrolysis. An extensive assessment of the techno-feasibility, economic insights, and future suggestions was done to commercialize the most efficient electrocatalytic systems for hydrogen production. This review is anticipated to provide academics, environmentalists, and industrial researchers with valuable ideas for constructing and modifying seawater-based electrocatalysts.

Key words: Seawater splitting, Hydrogen production, Electrolysis, Electrocatalysts, Electrolyzers, Techno-feasible analysis, Review