Engineering PtRu bimetallic nanoparticles with adjustable alloying degree for methanol electrooxidation: Enhanced catalytic performance

[Display omitted] •PtRu/PC–H nanocatalyst with a higher alloying degree has been prepared via thermal treatment method.•Electrocatalytic performance for MOR could be dramatically enhanced through high temperature annealing.•In-situ FTIR spectra, methanol molecules can be electrooxidized into CO2 at a lower potential for PtRu/PC–H nanoalloy.•PtRu/PC–H nanocatalyst exhibits maximum power density of 83.7 mW cm−2 in single methanol fuel cell test. PtRu bimetal is of particularly attractive in various electrocatalytic reactions owing to its synergistic effect, ligand effect and strain effect. Here, PtRu nanoalloy supported on porous graphitic carbon (PC) has been successfully prepared via a very facile method involving co-reduction the precursors of Pt and Ru at 300 °C by H2 (PtRu/PCL) followed by thermal treatment at high temperature (700 °C, PtRu/PC–H). Specifically, the electrocatalytic performance of PtRu/PC nanoalloy could be dramatically enhanced through high-temperature annealing. This strategy has synthesized smaller Pt and PtRu nanoparticles (ca.