In this study, cobalt-nanoparticles (CoNPs) are directly synthesized on Ni foam by ion implantation to catalyze methanol electrooxidation in alkaline medium, which is simple, cheap, environmentally friendly and easy to mass production. Several techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) have been employed to characterize the physicochemical properties of the as-prepared electrode. The electro-catalytic performances are investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and chronoamperometry (CA). The CoNPs/NF electrode shows prominent electro-catalytic activity toward the electro-oxidation of methanol because of the well preserved 3D mesoporous structure of Ni foam, which can provide adequate open spaces and shorter ion diffusion paths to increase the electrode/ electrolyte contact interface and active sites for reaction. (C) 2017 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.