Nanostructured Pt/CePO(4) thin-film electrodes consisting of the Pt nanocrystallites and amorphous CePO(4) were synthesized by sputtering, and the enhanced electrooxidation properties of methanol were investigated. Compared to a bare Pt electrocatalyst, the Pt/CePO(4) nanocomposites exhibited remarkably higher activities. The improved catalytic activities were observed even after normalization by the electrochemical surface area. This can be explained by both the bi-functional effect of CePO(4) and the modified electronic structure of Pt by the charge transfer from CePO(4) to Pt. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.