Pt3Pb(core)-PtPb(shell) intermetallic compound nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized on carbon black (CB) by converting nanocrystalline Pt to an ordered intermetallic compound with the reduction of Pb ions. The Pt3Pb-PtPb core-shell NPs were characterized by analyzing their crystal structures with powder X-ray diffraction (pXRD), hard X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (HX-PES), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The synthesized NPs exhibited enhanced catalytic activity and relatively stable cycle performance towards methanol (MeOH) and ethanol (EtOH) oxidation in an alkaline aqueous solution. The improved catalytic performance of the Pt3Pb-PtPb core-shell NPs might be attributed to both the enhancement of EtOH dehydrogenation and the higher concentration of surface OHads at lower potential on the modified PtPb surface in the Pt3Pb-PtPb core-shell NPs. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier B.V.