Electrodeposition of nickel‑copper on titanium nitride for methanol electrooxidation

This work highlights the fabrication of nickel‑copper/titanium nitride (Ni-Cu/TiN) for the use in direct methanol fuel cells. Ni-Cu nanoparticles are coated on the surface of TiN film by electrochemical methods. The formation of Ni-Cu/TiN is confirmed by a variety of means such as field-emission scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The presence of Ni-Cu on TiN film is further confirmed by cyclic voltammetry. For the electrochemical oxidation of methanol, the electrocatalytic activity of the prepared Ni-Cu/TiN is higher than those of Cu/TiN, Ni/TiN, Ni-Mn/TiN, and Ni-Co/TiN. The stability for the electrochemical oxidation of methanol at Ni-Cu/TiN is better than that of Ni-Cu/glassy carbon electrode. The proposed Ni-Cu/TiN might be beneficial to develop high performance and low manufacturing cost of direct methanol fuel cells.