The effect of the addition of CeO2 to Pt/C catalysts on electrochemical oxidation of alcohols (methanol, ethanol, glycerol, ethylene glycol) was studied in alkaline solution. The ratios of Pt to CeO2 in the catalysts were optimised to give the better performance. The electrochemical measurements revealed that the addition of CeO2 into Pt-CeO2/C catalysts could significantly improve the electrode performance for alcohols oxidation, in terms of the reaction activity and the poisoning resistance, due to the synergistic effect. The electrode with the weight ratio of Pt to CeO2 equals 1.3:1 with platinum loading of 0.30 mg/cm(2) showed the highest catalytic activity for oxidation of ethanol, glycerol and ethylene glycol. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.