Carbon–ceramic supported bimetallic Pt–Ni nanoparticles as an electrocatalyst for oxidation of formic acid

The Pt–Ni nanoparticles supported on carbon–ceramic electrode (CCE) are prepared by an electrodeposited process. The obtained catalyst is characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and cyclic voltammetry. The results show that the Pt–Ni nanoparticles (Flower like), which are uniformly dispersed on carbon–ceramic, are 20–50 nm in diameters. The Pt–Ni/CCE catalyst, which has excellent electrocatalytic activity for formic acid (FA) electrooxidation than a comparative Pt/CCE catalyst, shows great potential as less expensive electrocatalyst for FA electrooxidation. On the other hand, the Pt–Ni/CCE catalyst has satisfactory stability and reproducibility when stored in ambient conditions or continues cycling. These results indicate that the system studied in the present work is the most promising system for use in direct formic acid fuel cells.

► Fabrication of Pi-Ni nanoparticles modified CCE.
► Surface, structural and electrochemical characterization of the Pi-Ni nanoparticles.
► Electrocatalytic oxidation of formic acid on the Pt–Ni nanoparticles modified CCE.