Environmentally friendly PtNiCo nanocatalysts enhanced with multi-walled carbon nanotubes for sustainable methanol oxidation in an alkaline medium

Abstract

In this study, trimetallic PtNiCo/MWCNT and PtNiCo catalysts were synthesized using a microwave method to reduce the amount of precious Pt. The prepared catalysts were characterized using XRD, TEM, and EDX mapping and their electrochemical performances for methanol oxidation were investigated. The results showed that the MWCNT-supported catalyst showed 2.42 times higher electrochemical activity than the PtNiCo catalyst with a peak current density of 283.14 mA cm⁻² at −0.2 V potential. Moreover, in long-term stability tests, it exhibited high stability and 4.97 times higher current density at the end of 3600 s. The results showed that the MWCNT-supported catalyst offered improved electron transfer, 4.7 times higher surface area, and resistance to CO poisoning. These performance improvements due to the trimetallic structure are mostly thought to help accelerate the dehydrogenation of methanol. This study contains important findings for future functional catalyst design in the fields of catalysis and energy conversion.