We report a fast Pt3Sn/graphene oxide (Pt3Sn/GO) catalyst for the ethanol oxidation in acidic media. Graphene is synthesized from graphite electrodes using ionic liquid-assisted electrochemical exfoliation. Graphene oxide-supported PtSn electrocatalyst is then controllably reduced by ethylene glycol as a stabilizing agent to prepare highly dispersed Pt and Sn nanoparticles on carbon GO and we used them as electrocatalyst for ethanol oxidation and proton transport in direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) catalysts. Xray diffractometer and scanning electron microscopy techniques are used to investigate the crystallite size and the surface morphologies respectively. The electrochemical characteristics of the Pt3Sn/GO, Pt/G with Nafion and Sn/GO catalysts are investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) in nitrogen saturated sulfuric acid aqueous solutions, mixed sulfuric acid and ethanol aqueous solutions. The ionic resistance of Pt3Sn/GO electrode was only slightly larger than those of the Pt/G and Nafion solution catalysts but the catalytic activities of the Pt3Sn/GO are higher than Pt/G with Nafion and Sn/GO electrodes for ethanol oxidation, which can reveal the particular properties of the exfoliated graphene oxide supports and PtSn alloy. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.