Silicotungstic acid stabilized Pt-Ru nanoparticles supported on Functionalized Carbon Nanofibers have been prepared by a microwave-assisted polyol process. The samples were characterized by XRD, SEM and TEM analysis. The electro-catalytic activities of the prepared composites (20% Pt-Ru/STA-CNF) were examined by using Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) for oxidation of methanol. The electro-catalytic activity of the carbon nanofiber based composite (20% Pt-Ru/STA-CNF) electrode for methanol oxidation showed better performance than that of commercially available Johnson Mathey 20% Pt-Ru/C and 20% Pt-Ru/STA-C catalyst. The results imply that carbon nanofiber based STA composite electrodes are excellent potential candidates for application in direct methanol fuel cells. (C) 2009 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.