Based on a new support, hydroxyapatite (HAP), a facile and low-cost preparation of palladium/hydroxyapatite catalyst for ethanol electrooxidation is introduced in this paper through a solvothermal reaction without additives. HAP was employed as the catalyst support for its hydroxyl-rich surface in order to increase the stability and utilization ratio of catalyst. According to transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements, the as-prepared Pd nanoparticles with face-centered cubic crystal structure were evenly deposited on the surface of HAP. Cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry tests demonstrated that the Pd/HAP catalyst possessed a much higher current density (246 mA cm(-2)) than the Pd/C catalyst (109 mA cm(-2)) towards ethanol electrooxidation, and better stability as well. In the direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) test, Pd/HAP catalyst gives better performance than that with Pd/C in terms of both open-circuit voltage (OCV) and power density. These results indicate that the HAP is a better support and the catalyst developed in this study may be a better candidate for DEFCs. A possible mechanism consistent with the experimental is also proposed. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.