Platinum (Pt) and platinum-ruthenium (PtRu) nanoparticles supported on Vulcan XC-72 carbon and single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) are prepared by a microwave-assisted polyol process. The catalysts are characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The PtRu nanoparticles, which are uniformly dispersed on carbon, have diameters of 2-6 nm. All the PtRu/C catalysts display the characteristic diffraction peaks of a face centred cubic Pt structure, excepting that the 20 values are shifted to slightly higher values. The results from XPS analysis reveal that the catalysts contain mostly Pt(0) and Ru(0), with traces of Pt(II), Pt(IV) and Ru(IV). The electrooxidation of methanol is studied by cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry, and chronoamperometry. Both PtRu/C catalysts have high and more durable electrocatalytic activities for methanol oxidation than a comparative Pt/C catalyst. Preliminary data from a single direct methanol fuel cell using the SWCNT supported PtRu alloy as the anode catalyst delivers high power density. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.