Highly porous Ru/Se/C electrocatalysts have been successfully synthesized via a template-based method, which was carried out by the impregnation of a hard template (silica gel) with a mixture of RuCl3 center dot xH(2)O, SeO2 and sucrose dissolved in water. The resulting Ru/Se/C catalysts show good catalytic activity for oxygen reduction in acidic media. The electrocatalysts are believed to consist of selenium-modified ruthenium nanoparticles, which are embedded in a high surface area carbon matrix. The structural properties of the prepared Ru/Se/C electrocatalysts were investigated using nitrogen physisorption measurements, Xray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The elemental composition of prepared Ru/Se/C electrocatalysts was determined using electron microprobe. The catalytic activity was tested using the rotating-ring-disk-electrode technique in 0.1 M HClO4 solution at room temperature. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.