High electrocatalytic performance of nitrogen-doped carbon nanofiber-supported nickel oxide nanocomposite for methanol oxidation in alkaline medium

Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanofiber (N-CNF)-supported NiO composite was prepared by electrospinning a sol-gel mixture of graphene and polyaniline (PANi) with aqueous solutions of Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) followed by a high-temperature annealing process. The electrospun was stabilized for 2 h at 280 °C, carbonized for 5 h at 1200 °C then loaded by 10% NiO. The electrocatalytic activities of the produced nanocomposite have been studied using cyclic voltammetry, and chronoamperometry. Also, N-CNF was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), surface area (BET), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and scanning-electron microscopy (SEM). The obtained N-doped carbon nanofiber was found to have a nitrogen content of 2.6 atomic% with a diameter range of (140-160) nm, and a surface area (393.3 m2 g−1). In addition, it showed a high electrocatalytic behavior towards methanol oxidation reaction in alkaline medium and high stability and resistivity to the adsorption of intermediates.