Different nanostructured anode electrocatalyst using Pt, Al, Ti, ZnO, and carbon cloth (CC) including Pt@CC, Pt@ZnO-CC, Pt@Al-ZnO-CC, Pt@Ti-ZnO-CC, and Pt@Al-Ti-ZnO-CC are prepared for the purpose of application in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). The effect of carbonaceous material modification and co-doping (Al/Ti) utilization in electrodes is investigated for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). The results show that the incorporation of Al, Ti, and Pt nanoparticles into ZnO does not damage the hexagonal wurtzite structure. The doping ZnO with Al and Ti nanoparticles improves the dispersion of Pt catalysts and increases the current density by 1.6 times compare with Pt@CC electrode. Maximum electrochemical surface area of 98.6 m2 g−1, minimum amount of charge transfer resistance of 14 Ω cm2, and good CO tolerance and stability are found in Pt@Al-Ti-ZnO-CC electrode. This electrode in the active DMFC shows the maximum power and current density of 15.1 mW cm−2 and 83.4 mA cm−2, respectively, in the cell voltage of 0.2 V. In the EIS test, charge transfer resistance at the anode and cathode (Rct,a and Rct,c) values is decreased by 11.6 and 26.6% by reducing the cell voltage from 0.3 to 0.2 V, respectively. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
