Ultrasonic-assisted synthesis of Pd–Pt/carbon nanotubes nanocomposites for enhanced electro-oxidation of ethanol and methanol in alkaline medium

•A facile ultrasonic-assisted method was developed for fabrication of Pd–Pt/CNTs.•Pd–Pt/CNTs exhibited high activities for electro-oxidation of ethanol and methanol.•The possible reason for the electrocatalytic activity of Pd–Pt/CNTs was proposed. Herein, a facile ultrasonic-assisted strategy was proposed to fabricate the Pd–Pt alloy/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Pd–Pt/CNTs) nanocomposites. A good number of Pd–Pt alloy nanoparticles with an average of 3.4±0.5nm were supported on sidewalls of CNTs with uniform distribution. The composition of the Pd–Pt/CNTs nanocomposites could also be easily controlled, which provided a possible approach for the preparation of other architectures with anticipated properties. The Pd–Pt/CNTs nanocomposites were extensively studied by electron microscopy, induced coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and applied for the ethanol and methanol electro-oxidation reaction in alkaline medium. The electrochemical results indicated that the nanocomposites had better electrocatalytic activities and stabilities, showing promising applications for fuel cells.