Valuation of bimetallic Pd/Ni nanoparticles catalyst for the applications in direct methanol fuel cells

The electrospinning method has been successfully employed to prepare various percentages of less expensive nickel/palladium (NP) nanofiber catalysts as an alternative to platinum in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC). The chemical structure, morphological characteristics, and electrochemical (EC) properties have been investigated using a variety of analysis techniques. According to the scanning electron microscope (SEM), all prepared samples with different Pd concentrations exhibit good nanofiber form and a distinct nanoparticle look. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveals an amorphous carbon nanofiber structure with imbedded crystalline spheres of nickel and palladium. The carbonized polyvinyl alcohol nanofibers (PVANFs) have a steady and even distribution of nickel and palladium with an accurate nickel and palladium content, according to the energy dispersive X-ray mapping results. The lack of hydroxide or oxide phases in the X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern proves that Ni-Pd nanoparticles are present in the metallic phase. For the electrooxidation of methanol, urea, and an isopropanol-methanol mixture, the electrocatalytic features of the fabricated samples have been examined. EC results show that methanol has the best electrocatalytic properties. Hence, NP nanofiber catalysts could be a promising candidate to replace platinum in DMFC.