Green hydrogen (H₂) as a sustainable energy carrier can be directly produced through water electrolysis, potentially replacing traditional fossil fuels to achieve carbon neutrality. Current water electrolysis technologies rely on ultrapure freshwater, which, however, is scarce (<1% of earth’s water) and unevenly distributed around the world. Due to the abundant reserves and reasonable economic feasibility, the conversion of seawater to H₂ powered by renewable electricity is considered as a promising candidate toward energy sustainability. Recently, the mechanism of seawater electrolysis has been progressively clarified, motivating the development of design principles, for example, the alkaline design criteria and the Cl^– blocking layer, for improved catalyst performance. We discuss the vital aspects of seawater electrolysis, including the challenges and recent development in electrode materials. We outline potential strategies that enable highly active and selective catalysts for seawater electrolysis in the presence of contaminants such as metal ions, chloride, and bio-organisms, as well as describe issues in electrolyzer design. This perspective is concluded by presenting several development opportunities to advance this promising technique.

绿色氢（H ₂）作为一种可持续的能源载体，可以通过水电解直接生产，有可能取代传统的化石燃料实现碳中和。目前的水电解技术依赖于超纯淡水，然而，这种淡水稀缺（<地球水的 1%）并且在世界各地分布不均。由于丰富的储量和合理的经济可行性，通过可再生电力将海水转化为 H _{2被认为是实现能源可持续性的有希望的候选者。}近来，海水电解的机理逐渐得到阐明，推动了设计原则的发展，例如碱性设计标准和^Cl-阻挡层，用于提高催化剂性能。我们讨论了海水电解的重要方面，包括电极材料的挑战和最新发展。我们概述了在存在金属离子、氯化物和生物有机体等污染物的情况下使高活性和选择性的海水电解催化剂成为可能的策略，并描述了电解槽设计中的问题。通过提出几个发展机会来推进这项有前途的技术，可以得出这一观点。