Composite catalysts were prepared by covering Pt metal nanoparticles supported on graphene oxide with metal oxide (TiO2 or ZrO2) nanosheets having thicknesses of several nanometers in the present study. The resulting composites showed excellent catalytic performance during the oxygen reduction reaction, in contrast to conventional Pt catalysts, which are significantly deactivated due to increases in particle size. The metal oxide nanosheets covering the Pt particles prevented sintering of the Pt as well as loss of Pt cations by diffusion. These new materials also catalyzed the selective hydrogenation of alpha, beta-unsaturated aldehydes to unsaturated alcohols, whereas Pt catalysts generally exhibit low selectivity for such reactions. This superior catalytic performance is attributed to the preferential formation of Pt/metal oxide interfaces in the composites.