To improve the electrocatalytic activity of Pd for ethanol oxidation, hybrid NiCoOx adjacent to Pd catalyst (Pd-NiCoOx/C) is successfully synthesized. Physical characterization shows NiCoOx is closely adjacent to Pd nanoparticles in Pd-NiCoOx/C catalyst, which leads to Strong Metal-Support Interactions (SMSI) between the NiCoOx and Pd nanoparticles, in favor of the electrocatalytic properties. The Pd-NiCoOx/C catalyst is estimated to own larger electrochemically active surface area than Pd/C and Pd-NiO/C catalysts. Moreover, compared to Pd/C catalyst, the onset potential of Pd-NiCoOx/C catalyst is negative 40 mV for ethanol oxidation. Noticeably, the current density of Pd-NiCoOx/C catalyst is 2.05 and 1.43 times higher contrasted to Pd/C and Pd-NiO/C catalysts accordingly. Importantly, the Pd-NiCoOx/C catalyst exhibits better stability during ethanol oxidation, which is a promising electrocatalyst for application in direct alkaline alcohol fuel cells. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.