Enhanced electrocatalytic activity of NiO nanoparticles supported on graphite planes towards urea electro-oxidation in NaOH solution

Nickel oxide nanoparticles are fabricated onto graphite planes [NiO/Gt] by chemical precipitation of Ni(OH)₂ particles with consecutive calcination at 400 °C. The formed electrocatalysts are characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM images demonstrate the deposition of NiO nanoparticles on graphite surface through their crystallite lattice fringes with spacing values of 2.45 Å (111), 2.10 Å (200) and 1.48 Å (220). The electrocatalytic activity of NiO/Gt electrocatalyst is examined towards urea electro-oxidation in NaOH solution using cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Urea oxidation peak current density is observed at NiO/Gt electrocatalyst containing 15 wt% NiO [NiO/Gt?15] at a potential value of +640 mV (Ag/AgCl) with a current density value of 17.63 mA cm^?2. The loading amount of NiO in the prepared electrocatalyst significantly affects its electrocatalytic performance. NiO/Gt?15 exhibits the highest urea oxidation current density with the desired stability. The lower Tafel slope, charge transfer resistance and the higher exchange current density and diffusion coefficient values of urea molecules at NiO/Gt?15 surface elect its application as a promising electrocatalyst material during urea oxidation reaction in fuel cells.     

Influence of the mesoporous structure on capacitance of the RuO2 electrode

The difference in capacitive performance between high and low surface area RuO₂ electrodes, synthesized with and without a mesoporous silica template, respectively, was investigated in aqueous solutions of sulfuric acid and sulfates by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). RuO₂ synthesized with the template was crystalline and the formation of the mesoporous structure with a 6.5 nm diameter was confirmed using a transmission electron microscope and the nitrogen adsorption and desorption isotherm. From the CV at the scan rate of 1 mV s⁻¹, the specific capacitance of the high surface area electrode in H₂SO₄(aq) was determined to be 200 F g⁻¹. The high surface area RuO₂ has a three times higher BET specific surface area (140 m² g⁻¹) than the low surface area sample (39 m² g⁻¹). Introducing the mesoporous structure was proved effective for increasing the capacitance per mass of the RuO₂, though not all the surface functions as a capacitor. Both the CV and EIS suggest that by increasing the charging rate or frequency, the mesoporous structure of the electrode leads to a lower capacitance decrease (higher capacitance retention) than the low surface area electrode. The EIS also indicates that the response time of the capacitor is hardly influenced by the presence of the mesoporous structure.     

An efficient tri-metallic anodic electrocatalyst for urea electro-oxidation

Tri-metallic MnNiFe alloy nanoparticles with four different Mn:Ni:Fe weight ratios (0.5:2.0:0.5, 0.5:1.0:0.5, 1.0:1.0:1.0, and 2.0:0.5:2.0) on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) supports were synthesized using a one-pot hydrothermal method. The as-prepared catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy, and their catalytic activities were measured by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. In urea electro-oxidation, the Mn_0.5Ni_2.0Fe_0.5/rGO catalyst exhibited superior electrocatalytic activity compared to Ni/rGO and commercial Ni/C. The Mn_0.5Ni_2.0Fe_0.5/rGO catalyst exhibited a mass activity of 1753.97 mA mg⁻¹_Ni, along with an onset potential of 0.34 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) in 1.0 M KOH and 0.33 M urea solution, which is ~4.2 times and 9.8 times higher than those of Ni/rGO and commercial Ni/C, respectively. Furthermore, a single cell comprising of Mn_0.5Ni_2.0Fe_0.5/rGO catalyst exhibited a peak power density of 30.08 mW cm⁻² in 0.33 M urea and 1.0 M KOH at 50 °C.     

Nickel phosphate materials regulated by doping cobalt for urea and methanol electro-oxidation

Efficient catalytic electro-oxidation of methanol or urea is critical to the development of fuel cells, which have attracted considerable interest due to their high energy conversion efficiency, ease of operation and low pollutant emission. In this work, nickel cobalt phosphate (NiCoPO) with different Ni/Co ratio are successfully fabricated by co-precipitation method. The electronic states and texture properties of the active Ni(III) species can be regulated by the introduced Co phosphate. The cobalt introduction effectively reduced the onset potential and increased the oxidation current. Compared with nickel phosphate (NiPO), the onset potential of NiCoPO (4:6) and NiCoPO (6:4) decreased by 135 and 132 mV in urea and methanol electro-oxidation process, respectively. The amperometric i-t curves show that the current densities of NiCoPO electrodes are significantly higher than that of NiPO and CoPO. The NiCoPO (4: 6) and (5: 5) exhibits the highest current of urea and methanol oxidation, respectively. This work provides a research reference about the cobalt doping effect for nickel phosphate as catalysts in electro-oxidation reaction.     

Graphene oxide supported Pd-Fe nanohybrid as an efficient electrocatalyst for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

The experimental realization and computational validation for graphene oxide (GO) supported palladium (Pd)-iron (Fe) nanohybrids as a new generation electrocatalyst for proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) has been reported. The experimental apprehension of the present catalyst system has been initiated with the graphene oxide, followed by the doping of Pd and Fe via thermal inter calation of palladium chloride and iron chloride with the in-situ downstream reduction to get nanohybrids of the GO-Pd-Fe. These nanohybrids are subsequently characterized by RAMAN, FT-IR, UV–Vis, XRD, SEM, EDS, TEM and HRTEM analysis. Furthermore, the first principle calculations based on Density Functional Theory (DFT) with semi-empirical Grimme DFT-D₂ correction has been performed to support the experimental findings. Computational results revealed the alteration of graphene electronic nature from zero-band gaped to metallic/semi-metallic on adsorption of transition metal clusters. Moreover, the defect sites of the graphene surface are more favorable than the pristine sites for transition metal adsorption owing to the strong binding energies of the former. Electrochemical studies show that GO-Pd-Fe nanohybrids catalyst (Pd: Fe = 2:1) demonstrates excellent catalytic activity as well as the higher electrochemical surface area of (58.08 m²/g Pd–Fe)⁻¹ which is higher than the commercially available Pt/C catalyst with electrochemical surface area 37.87 m²/(g Pt)⁻¹.     

Synthesis of a N-doped mesoporous carbon as an efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction

A facile and effective approach was developed for the preparation of mesoporous Fe-NC by pyrolyzing the mixture of FeCl₂, urea, (NH₄)₂MoO₇, phthalic anhydride and SBA-15, during which the in-situ formation of iron phthalocyanine is confirmed. The obtained catalyst exhibits high catalytic activity towards ORR, whose half-wave potential can be 53 mV more positive than that of commercial Pt/C catalyst. Besides, the catalyst also exhibits high selectivity of four electron path, along with excellent stability and methanol tolerance in alkaline media. Based on the characterization results, we suggest, the higher surface areas, highly porous structures induced by SBA-15 addition, as well as high graphitic N content should be the proper origins for its outstanding catalytic performance.     

Edge-halogenated graphene nanosheets as an efficient metal-free electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction

Application of carbonic materials as catalysts has recently been considered due to some advantages like tunable molecular structures, easy synthesis methods, abundance, and high tolerance in acidic and alkaline media. Here, a new metal-free electrocatalyst of halogenated reduced graphene oxide was prepared using cyclic voltammetry X (F, Br, and I)-RGO electrodeposition method. The prepared electrocatalysts were studied as a novel metal-free electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction, and the presence of several halogen and oxygen functional groups on the surface of nanosheets was verified by the furrier transform infra-red, FT-IR, spectroscopy, and the presence of doped halogens on the RGO surface was confirmed by energy-dispersive X-ray, EDX, spectroscopy. The structural features and surface morphology of electrocatalysts were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. The electrochemical treatment of the X (F, Br, I)-RGO electrode was studied by some techniques like electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, EIS, chronoamperometry, CA, and linear sweep voltammetry, LSV. The X (F, Br, I)-RGO catalyst showed a lower onset potential (?0.81 V. vs. SHE), higher exchange current density (3.1 × ×10^?1 mA cm^?2), and lower charge transfer resistance (1.09 Ω cm²) related to the RGO catalyst due to the high active sites by heteroatoms and graphene nanosheets.     

Nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon nanosheet network entrapped nickel nanoparticles as an efficient catalyst for electro-oxidation of glycerol

The design and synthesis of nitrogen-doped (N-doped) carbon nanosheets network offer a tremendous electro-catalytic activity due to their high surface area and tunable porous structures for the development of direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs). In this work, nickel (Ni) nanoparticles entrapped onto the N-doped mesoporous carbon nanosheets network such as Ni–C-1, Ni–C-2, and Ni–C-3 are fabricated and characterized using SEM, TEM, XRD, XPS, and electrochemical methods. The physicochemical characterization of synthesized nanocomposite material confirmed that sodium chloride (NaCl) plays a major role in the formation of porous nanostructure during carbonization process. Under optimized conditions, all the above carbon samples are tested as potential electro-catalyst towards the electro-oxidation of glycerol for DAFCs application. Among them, the Ni–C-2 catalyst displays enhanced catalytic current density (~2.6 mA) and low onset oxidation potential (0.11 V) for electro-oxidation of glycerol than the Ni–C-1, and Ni–C-3 catalysts in alkaline electrolyte. In addition, the mesoporous carbon network structure containing Ni nanoparticles delivers substantial longer durability/robustness when compared to the conventional Pt/C-catalyst towards stable- and efficient electro-oxidation of glycerol for the first time. Thus, the obtained electro-catalytic performance revealed that Ni–C-2 is considered as a promising earth abundant non-noble low-cost catalyst material for DAFCs application.     

Hard template derived N,S dual heteroatom doped ordered mesoporous carbon as an efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

At present, a low-cost and efficient electrocatalyst is vital to conquering the sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells. In particular, N and S dual heteroatom doped mesoporous carbon (NSMC) catalysts are believed to be one of the best ORR catalyst options due to the distribution of nitrogen, sulfur sites. In this work, for NSMC synthesis we employed 2D Santa barbara amorphous (SBA-15) silica as support material and L-cysteine as N and S dual precursor. The optimal loading of NSMC-0.4, reveals the high concentration of defect sites (I_D/I_G = 0.99), pyridinic (21.41 at. %), graphitic-N (50.27 at. %), thiophene-S (77.16 at. %) sites on MC surface resulting in an improved ORR performance. The NSMC-0.4 showed more positive onset potential of 0.78 V vs. RHE, half-wave potential of 0.68 V, current density of 2.8 mA/cm², peroxide production of 81%, followed by two-electron reduction process and lower R_ct of 10 Ω/cm² in an alkaline electrolyte solution. However, NSMC-0.6 demonstrated the higher amount of peroxide selectivity (150%) due to the presence of a large quantity of pyrrolic-N sites. In addition, our work provide an excellent guide for the synthesis and design of NSMC for efficient peroxide production via an electrochemical synthesis route.     

Pulse plating of manganese oxide nanoparticles on aligned MWCNT

Abstract

In the present study, aligned multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) arrays were electrodeposited with manganese oxide as electrode material for capacitor application. The electrode material was prepared in a double-stage process. The first stage, the preparation of the MWCNT array on thin nickel foils by chemical vapour deposition is well known and has already been published. This study has its focus on the second step, the electrodeposition of manganese oxide on MWCNT. Electrodeposition was performed by pulse plating of manganese oxide from a manganese acetate electrolyte. The mechanism and kinetics of this deposition process were electrochemically characterised. Additionally, the manganese oxide modified MWCNT arrays were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Furthermore, the capacitor performance and the increase in the capacitance of the modified MWCNT arrays were investigated by cyclic voltammetry in a sodium sulphate electrolyte.     

Fabrication of electrospun nickel sulphide nanoparticles onto carbon nanofibers for efficient urea electro-oxidation in alkaline medium

To design and synthesize a noble-metal free electrocatalyst with increased efficiency and stability during urea electro-oxidation in alkaline solution is still an important challenge in the electrocatalytic field. In this work, carbon nanofibers were decorated with nickel sulphide nanoparticles [NiS@CNFs] through the electrospinning technique with subsequent heating into an argon atmosphere at 900 °C for 2 h. This formed nanomaterial was extensively characterized through X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), Raman spectroscopy and N₂ adsorption-desorption measurements. A conductive network of intertwined CNFs was clearly detected by FE-SEM analysis technique with varied diameters in the range of 0.6–1 μm. A highly porous nature could be suggested after incorporating NiS nanospecies resulting in increased specific surface area and valuable electrocatalytic activity for urea molecules electro-oxidation. The pore size distribution curves showed a decreased average pore diameter for NiS@CNFs nanocomposite by 2.53 folds when compared to that at CNFs. The electroactivity of NiS@CNFs nanomaterial for catalyzing urea electro-oxidation was investigated using cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. Increased activity of this nanocatalyst was registered when urea molecules were added in increased concentrations into KOH solution. Lowered resistance values were also obtained describing the charge transfer process to confirm the feasibility of the studied reaction at NiS@CNFs surface. Moreover, its drawn chronoamperogram showed a stable performance during operation for long periods revealing a lowered catalytic decay. Accordingly, the aforementioned results of our fabricated nanomaterial could provide a good guide for fabricating suitable electrocatalysts for various electrocatalytic purposes.     

Electrosynthesis of ternary nonprecious Ni,Cu, Fe oxide nanostructure as efficient electrocatalyst for ethanol electro-oxidation: Design strategy and electrochemical performance

Materials composed of various constituents with distinct physical or chemical features are named composites. Merging components in the composite structure leads to new properties creation or the intrinsic properties magnification of the components, or synergetic effects. Here, the ternary nanocomposite of copper, nickel, and iron oxides was electrodeposited on the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface to facilitate the ethanol electro-oxidation reaction (EOR) and overcome the electrode fouling problem while prolonging its efficiency. The GCEs were modified by three different procedures and activated by CV cycling in an alkaline solution, and their electro-catalytic activity was tested toward EOR. The ternary electrocatalysts prepared by two-steps electrodeposition of their components (Ni,Fe₂O₃/Cu and Cu/Ni,Fe₂O₃) demonstrated higher peak current and more negative peak potential (E_pa = 476 mV, I_pa = 492 μA, and E_pa = 510 mV, I_pa = 644 μA, respectively) than the binary electrocatalyst of Ni,Fe₂O₃ toward EOR. The best electro-catalytic efficiency was acquired for the simultaneous electrodeposition of nano Cu, Ni, and Fe₂O₃ on the GCE surface (Cu,Ni,Fe₂O₃, E_pa = 530 mV, I_pa = 3179 μA). The physicochemical and electro-catalytic characterizations of the fabricated electrocatalysts were evaluated by various techniques. The fast and facile engineered design of the GCE modification with the ternary Cu,Ni,Fe₂O₃ components led to a high current density of about 101 mA/cm² with increased tolerance against poisoning intermediates resulting in longtime stability for EOR in alkaline media. The synergistic effect between nano Ni, Cu, and Fe oxides provided promising properties for the EOR pursuing the construction of a powerful device with commercialization potential.     

Covalent hybrid of hemin and mesoporous carbon as a high performance electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction

A high performance hemin and mesoporous carbon hybrid electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is developed by using hemin as the Fe–N-containing precursor to control the chemistry of the metal and the chemical composition of the carbon surface. As a first step, Hemin is used as the Fe–N-containing precursor to prepare the Fe–N-doped mesoporous carbon (H-MC) via a nano-casting process by using sucrose as a carbon source and mesoporous silica as a hard template. Hemin is then used as the Fe–N₄-containing precursor to prepare H-MC supported hybrid catalyst. The Fe-doped and N-doped mesoporous carbons are also prepared and the catalytic properties of the prepared catalysts for ORR in alkaline media are investigated. The results show that as compared with the much more expensive Pt/C catalyst, the hybrid catalyst obtained in this work exhibits not only a higher onset potential, but also a higher current density.     

Ni/NiO@rGO as an efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst for enhanced overall water splitting reactions

Herein, we fabricated bifunctional, noble metal-free, highly efficient nickel/nickel oxide on reduced graphene oxide (Ni/NiO@rGO) by chemical synthesis approach for electrochemical water splitting reaction. Its structural and morphological characterization using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), energy dispersive analysis of X-ray (EDAX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) represents, Ni/NiO@rGO is having Ni/NiO NPs ∼10 nm (±2 nm) on graphene oxide with face-centered cubic (FCC) crystal structure. Moreover, the presence of Ni/NiO (2.26%), O (6.56%), N (0.74%) and C (90.44%) from EDAX analysis further confirms the formation of Ni/NiO@rGO and it also supported by FTIR studies. This nanocatalyst is examined further for electrocatalytic water splitting reactions (HER and OER). It demonstrated low overpotential 582 mV to achieve current density at 10 mA cm⁻² and smaller Tafel slope of 63 mV dec⁻¹ obtained in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ towards HER. Also, at the other end at onset potential of 1.6 V vs. RHE towards OER. It demonstrated low overpotential 480 mV to achieve current density at 10 mA cm⁻² and smaller Tafel slope of 41 mV dec⁻¹ in 0.5 M KOH towards OER observed. Hydrogen fuel is eco-friendly to the environment and noteworthy performance of earth-saving reactions.     

Microwave assisted synthesis of nitrogen doped and oxygen functionalized carbon nano onions supported palladium nanoparticles as hybrid anodic electrocatalysts for direct alkaline ethanol fuel cells

In this study, we present the synthesis of pristine carbon (p-CNO), nitrogen doped (N–CNO) and oxygen functionalized (ox-CNO) nano onions, using flame pyrolysis, chemical vapour deposition, and reflux methods, respectively. Pd/p-CNO, Pd/N–CNO and Pd/ox-CNO electrocatalysts are prepared using a simple and quick microwave-assisted synthesis method. The various CNO and Pd/CNO electrocatalysts are fully characterized and the FTIR and XPS results reveal that the synthesized CNOs contain oxygen and nitrogen functional groups that facilitates the attachment and dispersion of the Pd nanoparticles. Electrochemical tests show that the N–CNO and Pd/N–CNO electrocatalysts exhibit high current density (4.2 mA cm ^?2 and 17.4 mA cm ^?2), long-term stability (1.2 mA cm ^?2 and 6.9 mA cm ^?2), and fast electron transfer when compared to the equivalent pristine and oxidized catalysts (and their Pd counterparts), and a commercial Pd/C electrocatalyst, towards ethanol oxidation reactions in alkaline medium.     

CoFe2O4 nanoparticles anchored on N/S co-doped mesoporous carbon spheres as efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts for oxygen catalytic reactions

The development of a promising bifunctional electrocatalyst for oxygen catalytic reactions such as the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is highly desirable owing to the sluggish kinetics that limit these reactions. In this study, CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles anchored on nitrogen and sulfur co-doped mesoporous carbon spheres (CFO/NS-MCS) were prepared as nonprecious metal catalysts, using a facile pyrolysis and hydrothermal treatment process. The co-doping of N and S into the carbon spheres was achieved using thiourea, which played a key role in the bimetallic covalent coupling in the NS-MCS. The as-prepared CFO/NS-MCS exhibited a more promising ORR catalytic performance compared with that of commercial Pt/C, which was attributed to the presence of highly active sites. Remarkably, the CFO/NS-MCS catalysts also showed a high OER catalytic performance comparable with that of commercial RuO₂/C in the aspects of onset potential and Tafel slope, and showed a better durability for oxygen catalytic reactions in an alkaline solution. The approach indicated in this research can be applied to develop high-performance electrocatalysts for practical implementation in energy storage and conversion devices.     

Platinum supported on functionalized ordered mesoporous carbon as electrocatalyst for direct methanol fuel cells

Ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) with a specific area of 570 m² g⁻¹ was synthesised using mesoporous silica SBA-15 as template. OMC was used as platinum catalyst support using the method of reduction with NaBH₄. Before deposition of platinum, the texture and surface chemistry of the support were modified by oxidation treatments in liquid phase using nitric acid as oxidative agent. During the oxidation process, oxygen surface groups were created, whereas ordered porous structure was maintained, as temperature programmed desorption and transmission electronic microscopy showed, respectively. Platinum supported materials were well dispersed over the mesoporous support and its catalytic performance towards methanol oxidation improved when compared with commercial carbon (Vulcan XC-72).     

Growth of polyaniline nanowhiskers on mesoporous carbon for supercapacitor application

Vertically aligned polyaniline nanowhiskers (PANI-NWs) doped with (1R)-(−)-10-Camphorsulfonic acid (L-CSA) have been successfully synthesized on the external surface of ordered mesoporous carbon (CMK-3) by chemical oxidative polymerization. The specific surface area of the PANI-NWs/CMK-3 nanocomposite remains as high as 497 m² g⁻¹ by removing mesoporous silica template after the polymerization of aniline. Structural and morphological characterizations of the nanocomposite were further investigated by XRD, FTIR and FE-SEM measurements. The result shows that the nanocomposite with 40 wt% PANI applying in supercapacitor devices possesses a large specific capacitance of 470 F g⁻¹ and good capacitance retention of 90.4% is achieved after 1000 cycles at a current density of 1.0 A g⁻¹. The synergistic effect of small PANI nanowhisker arrays and well-ordered mesoporous carbon endows the composite with high electrochemical capacitance and good cycling stability.     

MnO2 nanowires anchored on mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride (MnO2@mpg-C3N4) as a highly efficient electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction

In the present study, we report the rational design and fabrication of a novel nanocomposite, namely one-dimensional (1D) MnO₂ nanowires grew up in situ within the 2D mesoporous carbon nitride (MnO₂@mpg-C₃N₄), as a highly efficient electrocatalyst for OER. The structural, morphological and thermal properties of as-prepared MnO₂@mpg-C₃N₄ electrocatalyst were characterized by TEM, SEM, XRD, XPS, Raman, ICP-MS, and TGA. The results clearly revealed the formation of 3D-hierarchical heterostructures consisting of 1D MnO₂ nanowires anchored on mpg-C₃N₄. Next, the electrocatalytic performance of MnO₂@mpg-C₃N₄ nanocomposite was tested in OER wherein it exhibited substantially enhanced activity than pristine 1D MnO₂ nanowires. In particular, the turnover frequency (TOF) of MnO₂@mpg-C₃N₄ (0.84 s⁻¹@480 mV) was found almost three times higher than that of 1D MnO₂ nanowires (0.32 s⁻¹@480 mV). Moreover, the overpotential and Tafel slope values were successfully lowered down by using MnO₂@mpg-C₃N₄ nanocomposite compared to those of 1D MnO₂ nanowires. It was experimentally demonstrated that the superior OER performance of the MnO₂@mpg-C₃N₄ is attributed to the effective stabilization of Mn³⁺ species (Mn₂O₃) in the electrocatalyst via the help of nitrogen functional groups of mpg-C₃N₄ and the formation of 3D heterostructure that offers the following three major contributions; i) enhanced aerophobicity due to orientation modifications of growing 1D MnO₂ nanowires, ii) open structure facilitating the rapid detachment of gas bubbles from the electrode surface, iii) a large number of transport channels for the penetration of electrolyte, ions and electrons.     

Carbon nanostructure grown using bi-metal oxide as electrocatalyst support for proton exchange membrane fuel cell

A novel carbon nanostructure grown by catalytic chemical vapour deposition technique has been applied as an electrocatalyst support for oxygen reduction reaction in proton exchange membrane fuel cell. The growth of carbon nanostructure (CNS) is carried over a low cost bi-metal oxide catalyst (Fe–Sn–O) synthesized by sol–gel technique. Platinum nanoparticle decoration on Fe–Sn–O incorporated CNS (CNS-FSO) is performed by ethylene glycol reduction method. The structural as well as morphological analysis confirms the formation of CNS-FSO and platinum decoration on CNS-FSO. The electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) of platinum decorated CNS-FSO (Pt/CNS-FSO) is 68 m² g⁻¹, as revealed from cyclic voltammetry. Polarization studies are carried out at different temperatures (40 °C, 50 °C and 60 °C) to exploit the oxygen reduction reaction activity of Pt/CNS-FSO. A maximum power density of 449 mW cm⁻² (without back pressure) at 60 °C shows the potential of this novel CNS-FSO as an electrocatalyst support in proton exchange membrane fuel cell.