Core-shell structural nanodiamond@TiN supported Pt nanoparticles as a highly efficient and stable electrocatalyst for direct methanol fuel cells

• Core-shell structural nanodiamond@TiN was used as a novel support for Pt catalysts.
• The ND@TiN support possessed a high electrochemical stability than carbon black.
• The Pt/ND@TiN showed a higher catalytic activity for MOR and ORR than the Pt/C.
• The Pt/ND@TiN demonstrated a much better durability compared with the Pt/C.

A novel core-shell support material was designed with nanodiamond (ND) as core possessed excellent stability and TiN as shell improved the conductivity of support. The nano-TiN shell was decorated on the surface of ND by annealing TiO2 in nitrogen atmosphere, and the obtained ND@TiN was employed to support Pt nanoparticles (NPs). The ND@TiN support and Pt/ND@TiN electrocatalyst were characterized by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. ND particles were coated uniformly by the TiN layer and Pt NPs with a mean size of 4.2 nm were highly dispersed on the surface of ND@TiN. The electrochemical results confirmed that the ND@TiN support possessed a much more stability than the carbon black and exhibited a bigger background current density than the ND. The Pt/ND@TiN catalyst showed higher catalytic activity and better stability in methanol oxidation and oxygen reduction reactions compared with the Pt/C and Pt/ND.