Intelligent catalytic support by Ni / NiO / Ni(OH)2 in low level of Pd/Pt boosting the performance of alkaline DEFC

[Display omitted] •A hybrid catalyst NiO/Ni(OH)2/PdPt is synthesized by one pot co-deposition method for alkaline DEFC.•Intervention of transition metal oxy/ hydroxy species meets up the catalytic challenges in EOR sequences.•The peak power density remarkably enhanced for the multi-metallic formulation Ni29Pd34Pt37 compared to Pt and Pd.•Extensive reaction centers in the nano-ensembles accelerate the electrode kinetics at low bias-potential.•High yield of CH3CO2−and CO32− substantiate energy efficacy of the optimal catalyst. The present investigations explore the important contribution of transitional metal/metal oxide/hydroxide in ternary alloys of Ni, Pd, and Pt NPs for boosting the EOR in alkaline DEFCs. A facile one-pot synthesis method is employed to prepare ultra small ternary nano-alloy catalysts. The impact of Ni/NiO /Ni(OH)2 species in EOR on Pd/Pd catalyst is strongly recognized by the diminution of overvoltage ∼ 546 mV in case of the multi metallic surface. The oxy/hydroxy species of the multi-metallic formulation of Ni29Pd34Pt37 not only trigger the electrode kinetics at the lower electro-chemical bias-potential but also facilitate towards sustained product formation and electro-extraction as manifested by the output power. A substantial rise of peak power density is obtained by more than 241% higher as compared to Pt, 78%, and 51%, compared to the bimetallic Ni41Pt59 and Pd55Pt45 catalysts, respectively. The increase of CH3CO2− and CO32− yields on the ternary catalyst compared to its unary/binary counterparts, further confirms the catalytic preeminence of the combinatorial formulation of Ni29Pd34Pt37 in the present investigation.