Bovine serum albumin (BSA)-templated zinc phosphate (Zn-3(PO4)(2)@ BSA) was synthesized by a feasible self-assembly method and applied as support for platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs). The possible formation mechanism of Zn-3(PO4)(2)@ BSA nanocomposite was investigated using time-dependent experiments. We found that Zn-3(PO4)(2)@ BSA nanocomposite was transformed from its nanoplate counterpart. Furthermore, the amount of the precursor H2PtCl6 used in the formation of PtNP@ Zn-3(PO4)(2)@ BSA plays an important role in the electrocatalytic activity of the developed PtNP@ Zn-3(PO4)(2)@ BSA electrocatalyst. Results showed that the deposition of Pt onto the surface of Zn-3(PO4)(2)@ BSA nanocomposite with 150 mu L of H2PtCl6 produced the most uniformly distributed Pt NPs, with an average size of approximately 2 nm. The as-prepared novel PtNP@ Zn-3(PO4)(2)@ BSA electrocatalyst exhibits considerably enhanced electrocatalytic activity and stability for methanol oxidation compared with multi-walled carbon nanotube-supported Pt NP electrocatalyst. The introduction of Zn-3(PO4)(2)@ BSA nanocomposite as new support material demonstrated a new strategy that can potentially accelerate electrode reactions toward methanol oxidation. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.