Porous core/shell Ni@NiO/Pt hybrid nanowire arrays as a high efficient electrocatalyst for alkaline direct ethanol fuel cells

A one-dimensional (1D) core/shell hybrid electrocatalyst for alkaline direct ethanol fuel cells (ADEFC) has been fabricated using metal@oxide (Ni@NiO) nanowire arrays (NWA) as a novel support for porous Pt nanoparticles (Pt NP). The Ni@NiO NWA has been fabricated by direct electrodeposition inside a polycarbonate template and the subsequent conversion of the outer shell of Ni into an oxide performed by oxygen plasma annealing after template removal. The Pt NP have been deposited onto the Ni@NiO NWA surface by hydrothermal reduction using a borohydride technique. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has shown that the PtNP contain a homogeneous distribution of fine pores. The electro-catalytic activity for the electro-oxidation of ethanol in alkaline media for Ni@NiO NWA/Pt has been found to be 126 mA/cm². Chronoamperometry has been used to show that the Ni@NiO NWA/Pt electrocatalyst exhibits favorable stability and activity as well as tolerance to CO-like poisoning during ethanol electro-oxidation at temperatures of 21°C and 50°C. The data described indicates that the Ni@NiO NWA/Pt electrocatalyst is a potential candidate to replace the commercial Pt/C NP anode electrocatalysts currently used in ADEFC.