In this paper, Palladium nanoparticles with uniform size and high dispersion have been successfully assembled on hydroxypropyl-b-Cyclodextrin (HP-beta-CD) modified C-60 (abbreviated as HP-beta-CD-C-60) via a sodium borohydride reduction process. According to the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements, the average particle size of the as-prepared Pd nanoparticles dispersed on HP-beta-CD modified C-60 is 2.7 nm. Electrochemical studies reveal that the Pd/HP-beta-CD-C-60 modified electrode shows a significantly high electrocatalytic activity, much more negative onset potentials and better stability than electrodes modified by other electrocatalysts for ethanol oxidation, which indicates that it is a better potential candidate for application in a direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC). (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.