Bimetallic nanocatalysts with small particle size benefit from markedly enhanced electrocatalytic activity and stability during small molecule oxidation. Herein, we report a facile method to synthesize binary Pt-Ru nanoparticles dispersed on a carbon support at an optimum temperature. Because of its monodispersed nanostructure, synergistic effects were observed between Pt and Ru and the PtRu/C electrocatalysts showed remarkably enhanced electrocatalytic activity towards ethanol oxidation. The peak current density of the Pt1Ru1/C electrocatalyst is 3731 mA mg(-1), which is 9.3 times higher than that of commercial Pt/C (401 mA mg(-1)). Furthermore, the synthesized Pt1Ru1/C catalyst exhibited higher stability during ethanol oxidation in an alkaline medium and maintained a significantly higher current density after successive cyclic voltammograms (CVs) of 500 cycles than commercial Pt/C. Our work highlights the significance of the reaction temperature during electrocatalyst synthesis, leading to enhanced catalytic performance towards ethanol oxidation. The Pt1Ru1/C electrocatalyst has great potential for application in direct ethanol fuel cells. (C) 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.