Facile synthesis of platinum and nickel sulfides supported in N-doped carbon nanotubes for oxygen reduction reaction

•Pt and Ni sulfides supported in N-doped CNTs were prepared by two facile methods.•Solvothermal method led to the formation of highly dispersed nanoparticles.•PtS solvothermal has the best electrocatalytic response towards ORR. Sulfides of platinum and nickel supported on N-doped carbon nanotubes were synthesized by two methods: a) solvothermal and b) chemical reduction. Physicochemical characterization of the electrocatalysts indicated that solvothermal reaction promotes a higher dispersion of the materials over the N-CNT. Electrochemical evaluation in alkaline media also demonstrates that Ni-based catalysts reduce molecular oxygen by the 2e- pathway, while Pt-based materials follow the 4e- route. According to the results, solvothermal method demonstrated better electrocatalytic response versus chemical reduction synthesized materials.