In this study, a carbon-supported Pd-P-B ternary catalyst (Pd-P-B/C) for ethylene glycol electrooxidation is prepared via a simple aqueous solution phase synthesis. Physical characterization reveals that phosphorus (P) and boron (B) atoms could modify the crystal structure of palladium (Pd) and lead to strong electronic interaction among P, B and Pd. Electrochemical results indicate that the Pd-P-B/C catalyst presents larger electrochemically active surface area, higher electrocatalytic activity and better stability compared to Pd/C and Pd-P/C. This may strongly depend on unique electronic and synergistic effects involved in this ternary nanoalloy. All results demonstrate that incorporating nonmetal P and B holds great promise to improve the performance of Pd in direct alcohol fuel cells. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.