Recent advances in Ce-containing Ni, Fe, and Co catalysts for water/seawater electrolysis

The urgent global demand for green hydrogen necessitates scalable and efficient methods of its production. Direct seawater electrolysis emerges as a promising alternative for freshwater-based process, yet it faces formidable limitations including Cl-induced corrosion, catalyst poisoning, and insoluble precipitate formation, which severely degrade electrocatalyst performance. This review explores the most recent advances in Ce-containing Ni, Fe, and Co catalysts for water/seawater electrolysis. We comprehensively discuss preparation methods and surface engineering strategies, including LDH-based approaches and MOF-derived syntheses. The discussion is extended to morphology control through formation of heterostructures, hybrids and core-shell structures, the chemistry and synergy of dopants and catalyst components. Finally, the review provides the main challenges in the development of robust, highly effective catalysts for seawater electrolysis.