High-performance Pd-coated Ni nanowire electrocatalysts for alkaline direct ethanol fuel cells

•Pd-coated Ni nanowires (PdNi-NWs/C) with a low Pd:Ni molar ratio were first time prepared.•A unique Pd coating with a high catalytic efficiency was achieved by controllable synthesized conditions.•PdNi-NWs/C showed superior catalytic ability in EOR and CO-tolerance compared to palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs/C).•Remarkable improvement in electro-catalytic activity for EOR derived from the addition of Ni and 1D core-shell structure.