Hollow CoNiPt ternary alloy nanostructures loaded on carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (c-MWCNTs) are facilely synthesized under a sonochemical condition. The as-prepared CoNiPt/c-MWCNTs hybrid exhibits enhanced electrocatalytic activity and improved stability for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR), much superior to the corresponding pure Pt, binary CoPt and NiPt counterparts. The green sonochemical synthesis of CoNiPt/c-MWCNTs composite provides a promising strategy for developing of high-performance Pt-based catalysts for the MOR in fuel cells. Copyright (C) 2015, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.