Valuation of bimetallic Pd/Ni nanoparticles catalyst for the applications in direct methanol fuel cells

Abstract

AbstractThe electrospinning method has been successfully employed to prepare various percentages of less expensive nickel/palladium (NP) nanofiber catalysts as an alternative to platinum in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC). The chemical structure, morphological characteristics, and electrochemical (EC) properties have been investigated using a variety of analysis techniques. According to the scanning electron microscope (SEM), all prepared samples with different Pd concentrations exhibit good nanofiber form and a distinct nanoparticle look. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveals an amorphous carbon nanofiber structure with imbedded crystalline spheres of nickel and palladium. The carbonized polyvinyl alcohol nanofibers (PVANFs) have a steady and even distribution of nickel and palladium with an accurate nickel and palladium content, according to the energy dispersive X‐ray mapping results. The lack of hydroxide or oxide phases in the X‐ray diffraction (XRD) pattern proves that Ni–Pd nanoparticles are present in the metallic phase. For the electrooxidation of methanol, urea, and an isopropanol‐methanol mixture, the electrocatalytic features of the fabricated samples have been examined. EC results show that methanol has the best electrocatalytic properties. Hence, NP nanofiber catalysts could be a promising candidate to replace platinum in DMFC.