Technology mapping of direct seawater electrolysis through patent analysis

In recent years, climate change has become more intense for society, and to mitigate this scenario, renewable energy sources have increased their installed capacity. In this context, green hydrogen, which can be obtained through water electrolysis, is considered one of the main alternatives to enable the replacement of fossil energy sources, acting as an energy vector to balance supply and demand for renewable energy. This study aims to mapping trends in direct seawater electrolysis technology by analyzing patents retrieved from the Derwent Innovations Index database between 1963 and 2022. As a result, 138 patent documents were identified and the analysis revealed an increase in patenting between 2016 and 2021 leading by China, South Korea, Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The analysis also showed a trend towards research and development for electrocatalysts for direct seawater electrolysis in alkaline media, using materials not belonging to the platinum group metals.