The spinel-type MnCo2O4 is an attractive bifunctional electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, the catalytic activity of MnCo2O4 is limited by its poor electronic conductivity. Herein MnCo2O4 coated with conducting polypyrrole (i.e. MCO@PPyhybrid) is synthesized. The obtained MCO@PPy hybrid exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity for both the ORR and OER, outperforming pristine MCO, PPy and MCO+PPy mixture. The ORR and OER activities of MCO@PPy are comparable to that of the commercial Pt/C (20 wt.%) and RuO2/C (20 wt.%), benchmark electrocatalysts for ORR and OER, respectively. While the stabilities of MCO@PPy hybrid toward both the ORR and OER are much higher than that of Pt/C (20 wt.%) and RuO2/C (20 wt.%), respectively. The PPy coating on the surface of MCO provides a conductive network for fast electron transfer and the coupling between the PPy layer and MCO promotes the transfer of electrons from PPy to MCO, benefiting the ORR and OER. The results reveal the effectiveness of surface modification with conducting polymer on improving the electrocatalytic activity of spinel oxide. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.