Carbon supported Pd and Pd alloys are synthesized and characterized as cathode catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Physical and electrochemical properties of the prepared catalysts are measured by XRD, TEM, EDX, XPS, and a three electrode half cell test. Pd7Co2Ni1/C catalyst shows the highest ORR activity among the Pd based catalysts and significantly higher methanol tolerance than Pt/C. It exhibits good performance in single cell operation. (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.