A novel electrocatalyst structure of carbon nanotubes (CNT) coated with thin SnO(2) and Pt (Pt/(CNT@SnO(2))) is reported. The CNT@SnO(2) composites with a thin shell (about 2 nm) are prepared by a simple chemical-solution method. The Pt/(CNT@SnO(2)) catalyst is prepared by first microwave heating H(2)PtCl(6) in NaOH ethylene glycol solution and then depositing Pt nanoparticles onto CNT@SnO(2) composites. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction show that crystalline SnO(2) of about 2 nm thickness is coated uniformly on the surface of the CNTs. Pt nanoparticles of about 3.2 nm in diameter are homogenously dispersed on the SnO(2) surface. Electrochemical studies were carried out using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The results showed that Pt/(CNT@SnO(2)) catalysts have much higher catalytic activity and CO-tolerance for ethanol electro-oxidation than that of Pt/CNT. (C) 2010 Professor T. Nejat Veziroglu. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.