A series of Pt based and non-Pt catalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) and direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) have been evaluated towards oxygen reduction, by high-throughput optical screening. Fluorescein was first used as pH indicator for detecting pH change of the electrolyte in the vicinity of cathode caused by oxygen reduction. Arrays of catalyst spot comprised of binary catalysts and pure Pt were prepared by using robotic micro-dispenser. The analysis of fluorescence images has showed that some of Pt based catalysts including PtBi, PtCu, PtSe, PtTe and PtIr, as well as RuFe, as a non-Pt catalyst, exhibited higher activities and methanol tolerance than pure Pt. Moreover, acceptable stability of these catalysts at high potential in acid environment suits them to the requirements of cathode catalyst in PEMFC or DMFC. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.