The
direct alcohol fuel cell has recently emerged as an important
energy conversion device. In the present article, superior alcohol
(ethanol, ethylene glycol, and glycerol) electrooxidation performance
using trimetallic platinum–palladium–nickel (PtPdNi)
alloy nanoparticles of diameters from 2–4 nm supported on a
reduced graphene oxide (rGO) electrocatalyst is demonstrated. A simple
and single-step solvothermal technique is adopted to fabricate the
alloy/rGO hybrid electrocatalysts by simultaneous reduction of metal
ions and graphene oxide. The detailed electrochemical investigation
revealed that the performance of the trimetallic/rGO hybrid toward
electrooxidation of different alcohols is higher than that of bimetallic
alloy/rGO hybrids and the state-of-the-art Pt/C catalyst. The incorporation
of Ni into the PtPd alloy is found to change the surface of the electronic
structure PtPd alloy leading to higher electrochemical surface areas
and improved kinetics. In addition, the hydrophilic nature of Ni not
only facilitates alcohol electrooxidation but also electrooxidation
of residual carbon impurities formed on the catalyst surface, thus
reducing catalyst poisoning, demonstrating its role in the development
of anode catalysts for the alcohol fuel cells
