A group of Chinese scientists have innovatively proposed a systematic assessment framework for the large-scale industrial application of direct seawater electrolysis for hydrogen production, providing theoretical support for the development of the marine green hydrogen industry.

According to a recent research article published in the journal Nature Reviews Clean Technology, the researchers from Sichuan University and Shenzhen University integrated the coupled effects of multiple factors in actual marine environments into the research system of seawater-based hydrogen production, extending the understanding from microscopic reaction mechanisms to macroscopic engineering scale-up.

Direct seawater electrolysis can use seawater and offshore renewable energy to produce hydrogen. However, the complexity of the composition and dynamics of seawater, such as composition fluctuations, wind-wave disturbances and salt spray corrosion, has hindered the transition from laboratory-scale breakthroughs to industrial scale.

This study systematically reviewed the key microscopic mechanisms of direct seawater electrolysis and critically analyzed the applicability and limitations of various approaches to engineering scale-up.

It established, for the first time, a correlative criterion between microscopic reaction mechanisms and macroscopic system operations, thereby bridging the research gap in the field where fundamental micro-level insights have been disconnected from practical engineering applications.

The study constructed a comprehensive, multidimensional systematic evaluation framework covering material performance, interfacial processes, device configuration, marine environmental factors and renewable energy adaptability, thereby offering clear and quantifiable benchmarks for the optimization of the entire seawater hydrogen production chain, engineering design and large-scale deployment, according to the universities.