Due to their high stability in general acidic solutions, SiO2 nanoparticles were selected as the second catalyst for ethanol oxidation in sulfuric acid aqueous solution. Pt-SiO2 nanocatalysts were prepared in this paper. The micrography and elemental composition of Pt-SiO2 nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, respectively. The electrocatalytic properties of Pt-SiO2 nanocatalysts for ethanol oxidation were investigated by cyclic voltammetry. Under the same Pt loading mass and experimental conditions for ethanol oxidation, Pt-SiO2 nanocatalysts show higher activity than PtRu/C (E-Tek), Pt/C (E-Tek), and Pt catalysts. Additionally, Pt-SiO2 nanocatalysts possess good anti-poisoning ability. The results indicate that Pt-SiO2 nanocatalysts may have good potential applications in direct ethanol fuel cells. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.