Seawater Electrolysis with Selective Oxygen Evolution: Catalysts, Interfaces and Chloride Management

Dear Colleagues,

Seawater electrolysis is receiving increasing attention as a route to expand water resources for renewable hydrogen production. However, the anodic environment in seawater relevant electrolytes is fundamentally different from that of purified alkaline or PEM water electrolysis. Chloride ions and other seawater constituents can promote competing reactions and accelerate corrosion, surface reconstruction and catalyst deactivation. As a result, achieving highly selective and durable oxygen evolution at practical current densities remains a central challenge.

This Special Issue aims to gather the latest advances that enable oxygen-selective seawater electrolysis through rational catalyst design, electrode and interface engineering and chloride management strategies. Contributions are welcomed that identify the origins of selectivity losses, quantify oxygen selectivity with rigorous analytical methods and propose mitigation concepts such as protective layers, corrosion-resistant supports, tailored catalyst layer microstructures and operating protocols that stabilise performance under realistic conditions. We particularly encourage studies that bridge fundamental mechanistic understanding with device-relevant testing, including AEM and alkaline configurations, intermittent operation and long-duration measurements in both synthetic and natural seawater. By bringing together materials, electrochemistry and system perspectives, the Special Issue will help define practical pathways for scalable seawater electrolysis with minimised chlorine chemistry and maximised operational stability.

Dr. Tomasz Mikołajczyk
Dr. Yurii V. Geletii
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Catalysts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.