Influence of copper content on the electrocatalytic activity toward methanol oxidation of Co(χ)Cu(y) alloy nanoparticles-decorated CNFs

In this study, CoCu alloy nanoparticles-incorporated carbon nanofibers are introduced as effective non precious electrocatalyst for methanol oxidation in alkaline medium. The introduced electrocatalyst has been synthesized by simple and effective process; electrospinning. Typically, calcination, in nitrogen atmosphere, of electrospun nanofibers composed of cobalt acetate, copper acetate and poly (vinyl alcohol) leads to form carbon nanofibers decorated by CoCu nanoparticles. The nanofibrous morphology and alloy structure have been confirmed by SEM, TEM and XRD analyses. Investigation of the electrocatalytic activity indicates that copper content has strong influence, the alloy nanoparticles having the composition Cu(5%)Co(95%) showed distinct high performance; 100 times higher than other formulations. Overall, the introduced study revealed the veil about the distinct role of copper in enhancing the electrocatalytic activity of cobalt-based materials.