Several studies have been conducted on direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) to resolve major issues such as the high cost of the catalyst and the poisoning of the electrode. Herein, a low-cost catalyst based on nickel particles (NiPs), carbon nanofibers (CNF) and poly(para-phenylenediamine) (PpPD) was carried out using a simple electrochemical method. The morphology and structure of the nanocomposite electrodes are characterized by field-emission gun scanning electron microscopy coupled with an energy dispersive X-ray detector, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The effects of various parameters such as the PpPD film thickness and the NiPs content on the electrocatalytic performance of CPE/CNF/PpPD/NiPs are evaluated which lead to the optimized composition. The results of the methanol electrooxidation reaction at room temperature showed that the optimized CPE/CNF/PpPD/NiPs nanocomposite exhibits a high catalytic activity (I-p = 38.11 mA cm(-2)), good stability and durability for more than 6 in comparison with CPE/CNF/NiPs. These findings truly highlight the synergetic effect of CNF/PpPD in enhancing the electrochemical activity and stability and the vast potential of CPE/CNF/PpPD/NiPs as low-cost catalyst and electrodes for DMFCs. (C) 2019 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.