Designing highly efficient electro-catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has been regarded as a demanding task in the development of renewable energy sources. However, little attention has been paid on improving Pt-based catalysts by promoting proton transfer from the electrolyte solutions to the catalyst layer at the cathode. Herein, we design proton conductive Pt-Co alloy nanoparticles anchoring on citric acid functionalized graphene (Pt-Co/CA-G) catalysts for efficient ORR. The facile modification approach for graphene can introduce oxygenated functional groups on the graphene surface to promote proton transfer as well as keeping the high electron conductivity without destroying the graphene original structure. The electrochemical results show that the Pt-Co/CA-G catalyst exhibits more excellent ORR activity and stability than the commercial Pt/C catalyst, which can be attributed to its improved proton transfer ability. The fast proton transfer comes from the hydrogen-bonding networks formed by the interaction between the oxygenated functional groups and water molecules. This work provides not only a novel and simple approach to modify graphene but also an effective strategy to improve Pt-based catalysts for the ORR. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.