Synergistic catalysis of PtM alloys and nickel hydroxide on highly enhanced electrocatalytic activity and durability for methanol oxidation reaction

Abstract The design of highly effective electrocatalysts with low platinum content for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) is critical to develop and propel direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) technology. Herein, we present a new co-catalysis structure tuning strategy of doping PtM (M=Cu, Co, Fe) alloys and transition metal hydroxides onto nitrogen-doped graphene to construct PtM/Ni(OH)2/NGO ternary hybrid electrocatalysts possessing excellent electrocatalytic performance towards efficient MOR. The unique dendritic PtM alloys and nickel hydroxide nanostructures synergistically contribute to catalyzing the oxidation of methanol and highly promoting the anti-CO poisoning ability by removal of carbonaceous intermediates on platinum active sites. The optimal hybrid catalyst achieves the higher mass and specific activity of 2883.75 mA mgPt−1 and 6.82 mA cm−2, respectively, and enhanced operational durability in alkaline solution.