Composition-tunable PtNiCu nanoparticles for boosting methanol oxidation reaction

Cost-effective fabrication of highly active catalysts are greatly needed for the commercial application of direct methanol fuel cells to alleviate the pollution issues and energy crisis. Compared with binary Pt-based catalysts, the ternary alloy nanoparticles possess high activity for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). However, comparatively few works are reported on ternary PtNiCu catalysts for MOR. Herein, we present the synthesis of ternary PtNiCu catalyst for MOR by hydrogen reduction method. The electronic structure near Pt surface is optimized by alloying the transition metals such as Ni and Cu. Electrochemical results indicate the excellent activity of PtNiCu nanoparticles stabilized on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) surface for MOR, outperforming those of PtNi, PtCu, and Pt nanoparticles dispersed on MWCNTs. By further tailoring the atomic ratio of Pt:Ni:Cu, the varying MOR performance with the various compo-sitions of the prepared catalysts is revealed. This work displays a strategy for the controllable fabrication and electronic tailoring of PtNiCu catalyst. The prepared PtNiCu catalyst can be further used in MOR and other catalytic reactions. (c) 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.