Ceramic carbon electrodes (CCE) for PEM fuel cells have been prepared in a one-pot procedure from a mixture of tetra ethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and 3-trihydroxysilyl-1-propanesulfonic acid (TPS) polymerized in the presence of a platinized carbon with concurrent spray deposition of the partially gelled ink onto a gas diffusion layer. The CCE showed fuel cell performance comparable to commercially available Nation-based cathodes. This high activity is explained in terms of the high electrochemically active surface area resulting from the enhanced proton conductivity in the CCE. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.