In comparison to pure water, seawater is widely accepted as an unlimited resource. The direct seawater splitting is economical and eco-friendly, but the key challenges in seawater, especially the chlorine-related competing reactions at the anode, seriously hamper its practical application. The development of earth-abundant electrocatalysts toward direct seawater splitting has emerged as a promising strategy. Highly efficient electrocatalysts with improved selectivity and stability are of significance in preventing the interference of side reactions and resisting various impurities. This review first discusses the macroscopic understanding of direct seawater electrolysis and then focuses on the strategies for rational design of electrocatalysts toward direct seawater splitting. The perspectives of improved electrocatalysts to solve emerging challenges and further development of direct seawater splitting are also provided.

与纯水相比，海水被广泛认为是一种无限的资源。海水直接裂解既经济又环保，但海水中的关键挑战，尤其是阳极处与氯相关的竞争反应，严重阻碍了其实际应用。开发地球上丰富的电催化剂直接分解海水已成为一种有前途的策略。具有更高选择性和稳定性的高效电催化剂在防止副反应干扰和抵抗各种杂质方面具有重要意义。本综述首先讨论了对直接海水电解的宏观理解，然后重点介绍了合理设计电催化剂以实现直接海水分解的策略。