A simple and efficient method to enhance the activity of Pt/C catalysts for direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) by ultrasonically mixing commercial Pt/C catalyst and TiO2 nanoparticles is reported. In this novel composite anode catalyst, the as-prepared TiO2 nanoparticles are dispersed homogeneously in the interspaces of Pt based C nanoparticles, resulting in a great deal of TiO2-Pt-C interfaces, which greatly accelerate the ethanol electro-oxidation reaction. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), CO stripping, chronoamperometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements confirm that this composite catalyst structure has excellent activity and stability toward ethanol and CO electro-oxidation compared to the pure Pt/C catalyst. Particle size and content of TiO2 are also discussed with respect to effect on catalyst performance. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.