The Pt-Au nanciparticles with 1:1 atomic ratio supported on carbon powder were prepared by the co-reduction method using N.N-dimethyfformamide coordinated Pt-Au complex as a precursor. Cyclic voltammetry results demonstrated that the PtAu/C catalyst exhibited a higher activity for the formic acid oxidation reaction than did the commercial Pt/C catalyst. reflected by its lower onset potential and higher peak current. The fuel cell performance test at 60,C showed that the direct formic acid fuel cell with the PtAu/C catalyst yielded about 35% higher power density than did the cell with the Pt/C catalyst. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.