Integrating Low Pt-Based Ternary NiRuPt Nanoalloy on Hybrid TiO2-Based Oxide–Carbon Composite for Enhanced Ethanol Oxidation

Ternary NiRuPt nanoscale alloy on hybrid Ti0.9Ir0.1O2–C composite is herein reported to overcome the high cost and tenuous catalytic efficiency of anode catalysts in direct ethanol fuel cells. The small-size NiRuPt alloy is anchored on the Ti0.9Ir0.1O2–C surface via a NaBH4–ethylene glycol-assisted coreduction route. Benefiting from advantages of favorable structure and synergistic effects of compounds, the NiRuPt/Ti0.9Ir0.1O2–C catalyst exhibits high electrocatalytic performance for the ethanol electro-oxidation reaction (EOR) with mass activity of 720.75 mA mgMetal–1 and specific activity of 2.15 mA cm–2, which are 2.25- and 5-fold increases compared to those of the Pt/C (E-TEK) catalyst. The as-synthesized EOR catalyst also shows impressive anti-CO-poisoning ability and great electrocatalytic stability after 5000-cycling ADT. This work can open up an efficient strategy for designing multicomponent catalysts to reduce Pt content and enhance the catalytic performance of electrocatalysts in renewable energy-related technologies.