Integrating Low Pt-Based Ternary NiRuPt Nanoalloy on Hybrid TiO2-Based Oxide–Carbon Composite for Enhanced Ethanol Oxidation

Abstract

Ternary NiRuPt nanoscale alloy on hybrid Ti0.9Ir0.1O2-C composite is herein reported to overcome the high cost and tenuous catalytic efficiency of anode catalysts in direct ethanol fuel cells. The small-size NiRuPt alloy is anchored on the Ti0.9Ir0.1O2-C surface via a NaBH4-ethylene glycol-assisted coreduction route. Benefiting from advantages of favorable structure and synergistic effects of compounds, the NiRuPt/Ti0.9Ir0.1O2-C catalyst exhibits high electrocatalytic performance for the ethanol electro-oxidation reaction (EOR) with mass activity of 720.75 mA mgMetal-1 and specific activity of 2.15 mA cm-2, which are 2.25- and 5-fold increases compared to those of the Pt/C (E-TEK) catalyst. The as-synthesized EOR catalyst also shows impressive anti-CO-poisoning ability and great electrocatalytic stability after 5000-cycling ADT. This work can open up an efficient strategy for designing multicomponent catalysts to reduce Pt content and enhance the catalytic performance of electrocatalysts in renewable energy-related technologies.