A simple, facile, and one-pot solvothermal strategy was developed to prepare Pd-on-Cu nanopartides evenly distributed on reduced graphene oxide (Pd-on-Cu/RGO) in ethylene glycol systems, using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as a structure-directing agent. Control experiments were demonstrated the critical role of CTAB and GO to the final morphology. The as-prepared nanocomposites exhibited the enlarged surface area of 64.98 m(2) g(-1) Pd, improved electrocatalytic activity, and better stability for ethanol oxidation in alkaline media, which can serve as promising anode catalysts in direct alcohol fuel cells. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.