Tuning surface composition of multiwalled carbon nanotubes supported Pt-Co bimetallic nanoparticles for boosting methanol oxidation catalysis

Developing catalysts with high performance and low cost for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) is the key to promoting the industrialization of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). In this work, multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) supported PtCo alloys catalysts with improved MOR properties and anti-CO poisoning ability are successfully prepared by integrating low temperature adsorption and high temperature reduction method. The Pt₁Co₃@NC/MWCNTs sample with moderate Co²⁺ feeding content (0.81 mA/ug_Pt) achieves a factor of 1.93 enhancement in MOR mass activity compared to the commercial Pt/C catalyst (0.42 mA/ug_Pt). In addition, the Pt₁Co₃@NC/MWCNTs sample displays a lower CO oxidation onset potential respect to pristine Pt/C catalyst (0.74 V vs. 0.82 V). Scuh improvement of MOR activity, durability and anti-CO poisoning ability of the Pt₁Co₃@NC/MWCNTs catalyst is ascribed to the moderate surface compositions, optimal electronic interaction between PtCo alloys and MWCNTs, and the protection of N-doped carbon (NC) shells. This study provides a new direction to decrease the utilization of platinum and improve the MOR activity, stability and anti-CO poisoning ability of electrocatalysts which will be potential in design and fabrication of the highly efficient electrocatalysts for DMFCs applications.     

Design and synthesis of Pd decorated rGO-MoSe2 2D hybrid network as high performance electrocatalyst toward methanol electrooxidation

Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) have attracted profound interest for development of future green energy sources, which are being powered by methanol as a fuel. The critical problem identified with DMFCs is the deactivation of electrocatalysts resulting from the adsorption of CO during methanol oxidation. In this work, we have employed a new synthetic approach by a green microwave method for the synthesis of hybrid Pd-MoSe₂-rGO and Pd-rGO nanocomposites. The synthesized electrocatalysts were successfully characterized by XRD, which is used to identify the crystalline phases, FESEM and TEM analyses for morphological features, XPS for analyzing the elements constituting the composites surface and Raman spectroscopy for the analysis of molecular structural bonding. Electrocatalytic activity was explored by cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry (CA) and CO stripping techniques. Electroactive surface area (EASA) of the developed hybrid electrocatalyst Pd-MoSe₂-rGO (51.81 m² g⁻¹_Pd) was more than 3.4 times superior activity than that of Pd-rGO catalyst (15.30 m² g⁻¹_Pd). It was observed that the synthesized catalyst with 3D cross-linked hybrid network facilitated even distribution of metal nanoparticles and exhibited nearly four times enhanced electrocatalytic activity (1935 mA mg⁻¹_Pd) towards methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) in alkaline medium, compared to Pd-rGO (546 mA mg⁻¹_Pd). Under constant applied potential investigations, catalytic activity of Pd-MoSe₂-rGO was nearly 50 times higher than that of Pd-rGO at the end of about 1 h. The ease of the availability of more active sites and high tolerance against CO poisoning resulted by the insertion of MoSe₂ led to enhanced catalytic activity of Pd-MoSe₂-rGO towards MOR. It is conceived that this synthetic strategy by employing a combination of 2D materials like MoSe₂, graphene and Pd nanoparticles together as building blocks for 3D hybrid network led to efficient electrocatalysts with high surface area and long-term stability towards methanol oxidation. This synthetic strategy exhibits a promising prospect to develop durable and stable electrocatalyst for DMFC applications.     

Three-dimensional porous PtCu as highly efficient electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation reaction

Exploring affordable, durable, and effective electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) is of great importance to the industrial application of direct methanol fuel cells. Herein, a three-dimensional (3D) porous PtCu catalyst is synthesized by a facile and effective galvanic replacement method, which exhibits high activity and durability for MOR. The modulated electronic and strain effects of the Pt atoms are verified by extensive characterizations, and the mass and specific activities of the prepared catalyst are roughly 3.8 and 9.9 times higher than those of the commercial Pt/C catalysts, respectively. The robust activity of the prepared catalyst is probably owing to the optimized affination between Pt and the adsorbed poisoning species (mainly CO) induced by the electronic and strain effects of the Pt, as well as the unique 3D porous nanostructure.     

Recent progress of anode catalysts and their support materials for methanol electrooxidation reaction

This review paper summarizes the recent progress of anode catalysts for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). The electrocatalytic activities of the noble and noble-free catalysts in different electrolyte media are compared and discussed. Noble-free catalysts exhibit high activity in alkaline medium, whereas Pt-based catalysts are the most active MOR catalysts in acidic medium. The types of catalyst support materials for DMFC anodes are also discussed and further divided into carbonaceous and non-carbonaceous materials. The ion and electron transport through the support materials and their effects on the overall performance are elaborated. Lastly, this paper highlights the major challenges in achieving the optimum DMFC performance from the aspect of tailoring the properties of MOR electrocatalysts to pave its way for commercialisation.     

Pt supported on boron,nitrogen co-doped carbon nanotubes (BNC NTs) for effective methanol electrooxidation

The research for electrocatalyst with high electroactivity and great CO-resistance ability for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) is still a huge challenge. In this report, we develop Boron, Nitrogen co-doped carbon nanotubes (BNC NTs) as a support for Pt. Owing to the doping of boron, the catalyst not only provides extremely active sites for methanol oxidation reactions (MOR) but also protects Pt nanoparticles from agglutinating, performing superior electroactivity and excellent ability to anti CO poisoning. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results demonstrate the strong electron effect between Pt and B. Notably, the Pt/BNC NTs catalyst exhibits higher catalytic activity towards MOR and more superior durability in comparison with Pt/NC NTs and commercial JM Pt/C catalyst. The accelerated durability test (ADT) illustrates that Pt/BNC NTs catalyst can improve the issue of electrochemical surface area (ECSA) conservation, with only 30% diminish in comparison with the initial ECSA after 5000 cycles. The experiment result demonstrate that boron doping is the key step to improve the catalytic activities and CO-resistance ability due to the combination effects, involving firm B–C and N–C bonds, the stronger electron transfer in the nanotube structure among Pt, B and N, the stronger adsorption intensity of oxygen species from doped B.     

Platinum supported on hydroxyl-grafted poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-modified RuCo,N-tridoped bamboo-like carbon nanotubes for direct methanol fuel cell

The development of highly active and efficient heterogeneous catalytic oxidation system has become an attractive research field. In this paper, a catalyst (RuCo/N-CNT@PEDOT-OH/Pt) from platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) supported on hydroxyl-grafted poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT–OH)-modified RuCo, N-tridoped bamboo-like carbon nanotubes (RuCo/N-CNT) are used for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). The electrocatalytic activity of RuCo/N-CNT@PEDOT-OH/Pt is systematically compared with RuCo/N-CNT/Pt (Pt NPs supported on RuCo/N-CNT without PEDOT-OH) in the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). The growth mechanism of carbon nanotubes and the role of heteroatom doping in the electrocatalytic process is explored. The catalysts show excellent electrocatalytic performance with high stability for MOR. It is found that the mass activity (MA) of the RuCo/N-CNT@PEDOT-OH/Pt (1961.3 mA mg^?1_Pt) for MOR was higher than that of RuCo/N-CNT/Pt (1470.1 mA mg^?1_Pt) and the commercial Pt/C catalysts (281.0 mA mg^?1_Pt), indicating the positive effect of the PEDOT-OH in the electrocatalytic MOR. In addition, density functional theory (DFT) calculations verify the possible mechanism pathways of the obtained RuCo/N-CNT@PEDOT-OH/Pt catalyst. This presented catalyst offers new inspiration for designing efficient electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation.     

Efficient one-dimensional Pt-based nanostructures for methanol oxidation reaction: An overview

The direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) have motivated researchers to conduct multifaceted investigations by the virtues of inexpensive raw material and high energy density. Tuning the morphology and composition of Pt-based catalysts with one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures has been proved to be determinant to design high-performance electrocatalysts towards methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) for DMFCs. Over the past decade, significant progress has been achieved in improving the MOR activity of Pt-based catalysts. Herein, this review briefly presents several typical 1D Pt-based nanostructures, including nanowires, nanorods, nanochains, and nanotubes, for their applications in the MOR process. Some classic instances are listed and detailed to assist readers in better recognizing the superiorities of 1D Pt-based nanostructures. This review firstly focuses on the mechanism of action and evaluation parameters of Pt-based catalysts in MOR, then the strategies employed to synthesize 1D Pt-based nanostructures are briefly summarized. The importance of rationally designing 1D Pt-based catalysts for performance enhancement is emphasized by the MOR application of various 1D nanostructures. Finally, the conclusion and outlook for future research directions in this field were proposed to motivate future challenges.     

Platinum-decorated three dimensional titanium copper nitride architectures with durable methanol oxidation reaction activity

The development of highly effective and robust electrocatalysts is an imperative requirement for the commercialization of direct methanol fuel cells. In this work, three dimensional, porous and urchin-like titanium copper nitride architectures is explored and implemented as the Pt support. The methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) performance of the obtained electrocatalyst shows a specific and mass activity of 1.46 mAcm⁻² and 0.84 Amg_Pt⁻¹, respectively, which are both more than 3 times higher compared with the commercial Pt/C catalyst. Notably, the novel catalyst also exhibits high stability, and a much slower performance decay compared with the benchmarked Pt/C with the same durability testing procedures. The comprehensive data confirms that the new type catalyst possesses a high charge transfer during the MOR process, and the synergistic effects between anchored Pt and the support mainly contributes to the high stability. This work provides a strategic method for designing effective MOR electrocatalyst with desirable stability.     

Three dimensional nitrogen,phosphorus and sulfur doped porous graphene as efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts for direct methanol fuel cell

The development of efficient and durable bifunctional catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) is desirable but remains a great challenge. Herein, a series of new three-dimensional (3D) nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur doped porous graphene (NPS G) were fabricated by facile and cost-effective strategy, as efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts for direct methanol fuel cell. To obtain superior ORR and MOR bifunctional catalytic activities, we optimized the doping amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur in catalysts. The resulting metal-free NPS G₂ catalyst had a long-term stability, desirable four electron pathway and excellent methanol poisoning tolerance. Moreover, NPS G₂ exhibited higher onset potential compared to other metal-free NPS G, and close to commerical Pt/C catalyst current density under the same conditions. In addition, a series of NPS G used as good supports for Pt nanoparticles. Pt/NPS G₂ catalyst displayed remarkable electrochemical performance, better cyclic stability and tolerance in methanol electrooxidation reaction.     

Binary Pt–Pd and ternary Pt–Pd–Ru nanoelectrocatalysts for direct methanol fuel cells

Nano-sized binary and ternary alloys are synthesized by polyol process on Vulcan XC72-R support. Nanostructured binary Pt–Pd/C catalysts are prepared either by co-deposition or by depositing on each other. Ternary Pt–Pd–Ru/C catalysts are prepared by co-deposition. The structural characteristics of the nanocatalysts are examined by TEM and XRD. Their electrocatalytic activity toward methanol oxidation and CO stripping curves were measured by electrochemical measurements and compared with that of commercial Pt/C catalyst. The results show that the binary nanocatalyst prepared by depositing the Pt precursor colloids on Pd-Vulcan XC-72R are more active toward methanol oxidation than that of the co-deposited binary alloy nanocatalyst. The co-deposited ternary Pt–Pd–Ru/C nanocatalyst based membrane electrodes assembly shows higher power density compared to the binary nanocatalysts as well as commercial Pt/C catalyst in direct methanol fuel cell. Significantly higher catalytic activity of the nanocatalysts toward methanol oxidation compared to that of the commercial Pt/C is believed to be due to lower level of catalyst poisoning.     

Highly efficient methanol oxidation on durable PtxIr/MWCNT catalysts for direct methanol fuel cell applications

Development of highly active and durable Pt based anode materials with higher utilization of Pt is quite crucial towards the commercial viability of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). Herein, multi-walled carbon nanotube supported Pt_xIr nanostructures (Pt_xIr/MWCNT) are successfully prepared by one-pot wet chemical reduction without any surfactants. The role of Ir content and its bi-functional mechanism on kinetics of methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) was studied. The MOR on Pt_xIr/MWCNT follows Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism by successive oxidative removal of CO. The co-existence of IrO₂ plays a vital role as catalytic promotor. Amongst, Pt₂Ir/MWCNT shows enhanced electrocatalytic activity (mass activity (MA), 933.3 mA/mg_Pt) and durability (13.8% loss of MA after 5000 potential cycles) thru the well-balanced electronic and bi-functional effects. This study implies that the optimized composition of Pt₂Ir/MWCNT exhibits efficient methanol oxidation and could be a potential catalyst for direct methanol fuel cells.     

Methanol electrooxidation activity of binary CoAg electrocatalyst

As the energy demand and diversity increases human beings need new energy sources or energy converters. Among energy convertion technologies, direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) have attracted much attention due to their uniqe advantages. But, high-efficiency and CO poisoning are still the main drawbacks of these systems. In this study, binary CoAg electrocatalyst was fabricated on a carbon felt (C-felt) as promising anode material for DMFCs. Electrocatalytic performance of the binary catalyst for methanol electro-oxidation reaction was studied in 0.1 M KOH solution containing 1 M methanol using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA) techniques. Time-stability and CO poisoning tolerance of the catalyst were examined with CA technique. The electrocatalysts were characterized using SEM, EDX and XRD techniques. The data of binary eletrocatalysts were compared with the un-coated C-felt and Co-modified C-felt as reference points. It was found that the CoAg binary electrocatalyst has quite good electro-catalytic activity for the methanol electrooxidation reaction. The high-electrocatalytical activity was related to large real surface area, high intrinsic activity of Co and Ag as well as possible synergistic affect between the metals.     

Defect configuration of ceria for Pt anchoring toward efficient methanol oxidation

As a potential next-generation power source for portable electronic devices, commercialization process of direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) technology is hindered by the high dependence of anode methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) on precious Pt catalyst. In order to improve the efficiency of Pt toward MOR catalysis, a Ni doping strategy is proposed for defect engineering on ceria substrate to achieve uniform dispersion of Pt nanoparticles. Besides, Ni could also act as electron donor for Pt and hence favor the removal of CO intermediate on Pt and act as a co-catalyst toward MOR. Superior MOR activity and great stability is therefore achieved for the as-prepared Pt/CeO₂@Ni catalyst with 3 times higher peak MOR current density compared with Pt/C catalyst. Due to the evenly anchored Pt and enhanced CO oxidation ability caused from Ni doped ceria substrate, Pt utilization of the Pt/CeO₂@Ni catalyst is calculated to be 3.24 times higher than that of the commercial Pt/C catalyst. By considering the significantly improved stability, the Pt/CeO₂@Ni catalyst has the potential for application in DMFC devices.     

Solution plasma method assisted with MOF for the synthesis of Pt@CoOx@N-C composite catalysts with enhanced methanol oxidation performance

The key to direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) is the anode catalyst for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) which has good catalytic activity and stability. Pt@CoO_x@N-C catalysts were synthesized by compounding Pt nanoparticles and CoO_x with nitrogen-doped porous carbon (N-C). Pt nanoparticles were prepared by solution plasma technique. CoO_x@N-C are derived from zeolitic-imidazolate-framework-67 (ZIF-67) by heat treatment at 700 °C. For MOR, Pt@CoO_x@N-C exhibits an outstanding electrocatalytic performance (mass activity of 2400 mA mg_Pt⁻¹) and stability (70% remained after 300 cycles) under acidic condition, which owing to the synergistic effects among the Pt nanoparticles, CoO_x and nitrogen-doped porous carbon. Pt@CoO_x@N-C shows such mass activity superior to that of Pt/C (460 mA mg_Pt⁻¹) due to the fact that CoO can adsorb –OH in the solution and then assist Pt to oxidize the CO-like intermediates to CO₂ which improves the resistance to CO poisoning of Pt nanoparticles. Therefore, solution plasma method assisted with metal-organic frameworks have good development prospects on synthesis of highly efficient electrocatalysts.     

1D-2D integrated hybrid carbon nanostructure supported bimetallic alloy catalyst for ethanol oxidation and oxygen reduction reactions

Herein, 1-D carbon nanotubes and 2-D graphene hybrid carbon hetero-structure is employed as the catalyst support material for low temperature fuel cell. Partial unraveling of carbon nanotubes results in 1D-2D hybrid hetero-structure with enhanced surface area, while the intact inner tubes result in good electrical conductivity. Platinum-tin alloy decorated on partially exfoliated carbon nanotubes (Pt–Sn/PCNT) were prepared by ethylene glycol reduction method and investigated its electrocatalytic activity towards ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) for direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for hydrogen fuelled polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). Along with the intrinsic properties of carbon nanotubes, PCNT provides more anchoring sites, thereby facilitates complete utilization of catalysts. The electrochemical EOR studies reveal that Pt–Sn/PCNT has better tolerance to the accumulation of intermediate species than Pt–Sn/CNT. Besides, as-synthesized electrocatalysts exhibit good ORR activity with four-electron pathway. The enhanced EOR and ORR activity of as prepared electrocatalysts is attributed to the high dispersion of catalyst nanoparticles on PCNT along with the inhibition of production of intermediate species on the Pt surface by alloying. Further, the practical suitability of PCNT supported Pt–Sn nanocatalysts as EOR and ORR electrocatalysts has been examined by performing the full fuel cell measurements.     

A non-noble,low cost,multicomponent electrocatalyst based on nickel oxide decorated AC nanosheets and PPy nanowires for the direct methanol oxidation reaction

The multicomponent electrocatalyst is a low-cost composite material exhibiting excellent catalytic activity suitable for methanol oxidation reactions (MOR). In this work, we report a glassy carbon electrode modified nickel oxide nanospheres (NiO) decorated biomass-derived activated carbon (AC) nanosheets and polypyrrole (PPy) nanowire, electrocatalyst (NiO_AC@PPy/GCE) for direct methanol oxidation fuel cell (DMFC) application. The SEM micrographs reveal the nanosheets and nanowire-like morphology of AC and PPy decorated with NiO nanospheres which provide a high surface area with electrocatalytic activity, and stability for MOR. The NiO_AC@PPy/GCE exhibits a high current density of 551 mA/mg at a low onset potential of 0.5 V (vs Ag|AgCl) towards electro-oxidation of 0.5 M methanol (MeOH) in an alkaline medium. This superior performance of the NiO_AC@PPy/GCE over other reported metal-oxides based electrocatalysts is attributed to the synergistic effect of the NiO_AC@PPy electrocatalyst, wherein NiO provides electrocatalytic active sites for MOR via Ni²⁺/Ni³⁺ redox couple while the PPy and AC contribute towards the chemical stability and electrical conductivity of the electrode, respectively. The electrode shows 79% of capacity retention after 10,000 s of chronoamperometry displaying excellent chemical stability with reduced effect of CO intermediate poisoning at the electrode surface. This excellent stability and overall performance of the NiO_AC@PPy proves it as an ideal, low-cost non-noble electrocatalyst for DMFCs.     

Polyaniline decorated MoO3 nanorods: Synthesis,characterization and promoting effect to Pt electrocatalyst

The promoting effect of metal oxides to Pt catalysts toward methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) has attracted widespread attention in recent years. In this communication, we report the promoting effect of MoO₃ to Pt catalyst by rationally designing and tuning the nanostructure of the catalysts. MoO₃ nanorods are firstly synthesized through hydrothermal method and used as the substrate for the deposition of polyaniline (PANI) layer. The PANI-MoO₃ composite nanostructures are then used as the support for Pt catalyst. Depending on the preparation method of Pt nanoparticles, the nanostructure can be PANI nanotube supported Pt (Pt/PANI) through etching MoO₃ nanorods with NaBH₄ and PANI-MoO₃ composite nanorods supported Pt (Pt/PANI-MoO₃). The catalytic properties of the two catalysts toward MOR are investigated. Results show that the current of methanol oxidation on Pt/PANI-MoO₃ catalyst is comparable to that on Pt/PANI, while the peak potential of MOR on the former is lowered by 180 mV as compared with the latter, suggesting a much higher catalytic activity of Pt/PANI-MoO₃. The presence of MoO₃ may be responsible for the improvement of the catalytic properties through the co-synergistic effects of PANI and MoO₃.     

Frustrated Lewis pair engineering on ceria to improve methanol oxidation activity of Pt for direct methanol fuel cell applications

Practical application of direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) technology is greatly hindered by the strong dependence of anodic methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) on precious Pt based catalyst and the unsatisfying performance of Pt. Therefore, increasing the utilization and the catalytic performance of Pt toward MOR in DMFC is urgent. Here in this work, CeO₂ is modified via a plasma-phosphating combing strategy and is invited as Frustrated Lewis Pair to assist the catalytic MOR process on Pt sites. Simultaneously, the plasma-phosphating combing strategy leads to negatively charged sites on CeO₂ surface, which can be functioned as host for Pt anchoring, facilitating the even dispersion of Pt nanocrystals. Besides, this strategy also has an effect on the Ce³⁺/Ce⁴⁺ ratio and vacancy oxygen ratio on CeO₂ surface, which are critical to the adsorbed OH generation and anti-CO poisoning ability, thus boosting the MOR catalytic activity of Pt. DMFC device therefore exhibits ca. 30% maximum power density enhancement compared with the commercial Pt/C based DMFC.     

Evaluation of silver as a miniature direct methanol full cell electrode

Miniature direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) and direct hydrogen fuel cells are promising candidates for future polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) based micro-power sources. Currently, most miniature DMFCs are developed using a silicon based microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technique, which requires complex and precise processing. Low temperature cofire ceramic (LTCC) technology offers an attractive alternative for a ceramics MEMS construction, allowing the integration of high density interconnect and embedded electronic components with microchannels and hermetic cavities from the meso- to the microscale. Silver is a major metallization source for LTCC, which can be fabricated in a range of configurations, from a solid hermetic layer to a porous open structure with microchannels that can easily be integrated into the structures. Silver based LTCC provides an ideal technology for the fabrication of an integrated fuel cell into a high density ceramic-based microelectronic assembly. A silver electrode was evaluated in a simulated DMFC operating environment and found to exhibit good corrosion resistance and chemical stability, essential properties for electrode systems. Potentiodynamic analysis of a catalyzed silver electrode (prepared by thermal decomposition of a Pt/Ru resinate) revealed excellent corrosion resistance under anodic and cathodic DMFC operating conditions. The Pt/Ru catalyst on the silver electrode enhanced the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) as well as oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) as compared with similar reactions on carbon electrodes. The potential at which methanol is oxidized was lower than the silver oxidation potential, which served to protect the silver electrode. The determination of a contact angle of 30° on the silver electrode indicated wettability, which is deleterious for its application in DMFCs. Nevertheless, the results of good corrosion resistance derived from this investigation as well as the high electrical and thermal conductivities of silver all auger well for it usage as an electrode in DMFC.     

Bimetallic Pt3Mn nanowire network structures with enhanced electrocatalytic performance for methanol oxidation

Pt-based catalysts are still most attractive and could be the major driving force for facile electrochemical reactions in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). In this work, a Pt₃Mn nanowire network structures (NWNs) catalyst was successfully synthesized by a soft template (CTAB) method. The morphology and elemental composition of the Pt₃Mn NWNs were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The electrocatalytic behavior of the synthesized Pt₃Mn NWNs catalyst towards methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) was studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA). The results reveal that the Pt₃Mn NWNs has superior MOR activity and durability compared to Pt NWNs and commercial Pt/C. The mass and specific activities of Pt₃Mn NWNs are 0.843 A mg⁻¹ and 1.8 mA cm⁻² respectively, which are twice that of commercial Pt/C. Additionally, the results of CA test indicate that the Pt₃Mn NWNs possesses better durability than Pt NWNs and commercial Pt/C catalysts in acidic media, which is expected to be a new alternative anode material in DMFCs.