Abstract
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•CuO NPs/ITO was prepared based on hydrothermal method and applied for DMFCs.•Modified electrode showed capability for DMFCs within range 0.5–500 nM.•The modified electrode showed good durability (96.4% after 100 cycles).
The design of metal oxide nanomaterials as electrochemical catalysts has received attracted extensive attention. Here, we reported on a simple synthesis of copper oxide nano-electrocatalyst modified indium tin oxide (ITO) based on the hydrothermal method. Then the modified electrode was applied as an effective electrochemical catalyst in direct methanol fuel cell applications. The cyclic voltammetry technique was used to monitor the efficiency of this electrode towards the methanol oxidation and hydrogen evolution reactions. Our results showed that uses of the CuO nano-electrocatalyst modified ITO has a strong electrochemical catalyst toward methanol electrochemical oxidation in acidic and alkaline media within the concentration range from 0.5 mol L−1 to 5 × 10−8 mol L−1. The durability of the developed electrode was investigated that showed long-time stability and the electrode reserve about 96.4% of its efficiency after 100 cycles.