Study of methanol electro-oxidation on Ni and Ni–Pt/carbon paper electrodes for direct methanol fuel cell applications

Abstract

This study deals with the oxidation of methanol in alkaline media. For this purpose, first nickel and nickel–platinum particles were deposited on carbon paper substrates by using electroplating with galvanic deposition method. Then the morphology of the metal particle coatings on the carbon paper was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). The catalytic properties of the electrodes for methanol oxidation were studied using electrochemical methods such as cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry (CA) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results showed higher catalytic activity of the Ni–Pt/carbon paper electrode compared with the Ni/carbon paper electrode. Therefore, Ni–Pt/carbon paper electrode is a good candidate as an anode for direct methanol fuel cells.