Polymer supported palladium nanoparticles has been synthesized using an 'in-situ polymerization and composite formation' method, where potassium tetrachloropalladate was used as the precursor of palladium nanoparticles. The resultant material was characterized by optical and surface characterization techniques, which offered the information about the chemistry of metal and polymer, whereas, the microscopic characterization showed the morphology of the composite and the orientation of the metal nanoparticles within the polymer matrix. The synthesized material was successfully used as an electrocatalyst for the methanol oxidation reaction in alkaline media. (C) 2017 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.