LaNi0.9Ru0.1O3 as cathode catalyst for a direct borohydride fuel cell (DBFC) was synthesized and investigated for the first time. The electrochemical experiments indicated that perovskite-type oxide LaNi0.9Ru0.1O3 exhibited higher electrochemical performance compared with LaNiO3, which suggested incorporation of element Ru into LaNiO3 could further improve the catalytic ability for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline solution. LaNi0.9Ru0.1O3 catalyst was found to have good tolerance of BH4-. Meanwhile the maximum power density of 171 mW cm(-2) was obtained at 65 degrees C without using any precious ion exchange membrane. A life test indicated that the DBFC displayed no significant degradation for about 70 h testing. The electrochemical data suggested that LaNi0.9Ru0.1O3, which provided a simple way to construct DBFCs without using any ion exchange membrane, might be promising cathode catalyst with high performance and low cost for DBFCs. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.