One-Step Electrodeposition of Trimetallic Alloy Nickel-Ferrum-Cobalt as an Anode Catalyst for Methanol Oxidation

Abstract A one-step electrodeposition method was employed to synthesize the trimetallic alloy NiFeCo as a non-noble metal catalyst for methanol oxidation reaction in a direct methanol fuel cell. The structure of samples was characterized by X-ray diffraction and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, while the surface morphology was observed by scanning electron microscope. The results confirmed the successful synthesis of the NiFeCo/PANI/GR composite materials. Furthermore, the electrocatalytic performances of the composite materials toward methanol oxidation reaction in an alkaline medium were investigated by cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and chronoamperometry. The result showed that the composite electrodeposited under 0.4 V can exhibit excellent catalytic performance for the methanol oxidation reaction. The peak current density of catalytic methanol oxidation reached 43 mA/cm2. According to chronoamperometric analysis, the current density was stable during 1000 s and finally remained 14.5 % of the initial current density, it demonstrated the remarkable stability.