The nickel supported platinum catalyst for anodic oxidation of ethanol in alkaline medium

• Increased CC bond breaking ability of Ni–Pt electrocatalyst.
• Ca.50 atom% of Pt shows best electrocatalytic activity for ethanol Oxidation.
• Ethanol is oxidised to carbonate through acetaldehyde and acetate Intermediates.
• Proposed path of ethanol oxidation.

In search for cheaper anode catalyst for oxidation of ethanol, a few novel anodes were constructed by thin deposit of nano-crystalline Pt of varying load on planar Ni support by galvanostatic deposition to different extents from a millimolar solution of precursor salt in absence of any capping agent. The morphology and the excellent electrocatalytic activity of the electrodes were investigated by spectroscopic, microscopic, and electrochemical techniques. The studies reveal that the particles are agglomerated interconnected spherical shaped composite with a radius in the range of 12–50 nm. The change in electrocatalytic activity in reference to anodic oxidation of ethanol is found to depend on the composite effect of loading of Pt, composition of Ni–Pt binary catalyst and the diameter of the nano-crystallites constituting the electrodes. The anode containing ca. 50 atom% of Pt together with Ni at the surface shows the highest electrocatalytic activity with respect to current density, poison tolerance and exchange current density. For both Ni and Ni/Pt catalysts electrochemical oxidation of alkaline ethanol occurs through intermediates like acetaldehyde and sodium acetate. A possible path of reaction is also proposed.

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