The decoration of single crystal gold electrodes with platinum using underpotential deposited copper as an intermediate has been studied in detail. It was found that a significant fraction of the copper is lost in the transfer process from the upd cell to the exchange cell. In addition the surface of the gold is not covered uniformly by the platinum. Nevertheless, acceleration of the electroreduction of oxygen was observed with a loading of 0.14 mu g cm(-2). The structure of the decorating layer was studied by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd.