Pd nanocubes enclosed by {200} facets are synthesized and used as an anode catalyst in direct borohydride fuel cell (DBFC) to study the electrocatalytic activity of Pd towards borohydride oxidation reaction (BOR) by modifying its surface atomic structure. A 7e reaction towards BOR is implemented on Pd nanocubes with a borohydride concentration as high as 3.26 M. The cell using Pd nanocubes as anode catalyst exhibits an obvious higher power density than the cell using commercial Pd/C, and maintained 99% of its voltage after 50 h stability test. It suggests that the Pd nanocubes could be a promising anode catalyst for the DBFC application. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.