We have used pulsed lased deposition (PLD) of platinum onto uncatalyzed E-TEKgas-diffusion electrodes (GDE) to prepare very low loading electrodes for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). When tested at the anode side, the Pt PLD electrodes containing as little as 0.017 mg Pt/cm(2) perform as well as standard E-TEK electrodes that contain about twenty-five times more Pt (0.4 mg/cm(2)). X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron micrographs of Pt PLD electrodes indicate that the deposits are made of 13 nm diam crystallites evenly dispersed at the surface of the GDE backing. (C) 2003 The Electrochemical Society.