Proton exchange membrane fuel cell and direct methanol fuel cells have gained more attention due to high-energy density,remarkable conversion efficiency,and low emission.However,their widely practi-cal application was hindered by the high usage,limited sources,and high price of Pt catalysts.To achieve more cost-effective catalytic systems,PtCu-based multi-metallic nanoparticles are highly efficient for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and methanol oxidation reaction (MOR).The incorporation of non-noble Cu metal can alter the properties of hybrids by forming new facets,planes,edges to promote the cleavage or formation of chemical bonds in catalytic reaction.This is a rapid growing area with numerous contributions from the interdisciplinary areas of nanocatalysis.This paper has summarized the recent progress in the past two years,in synthesizing PtCu-based alloys with various composition and morphologies,and critically discussed the effect of the catalyst preparation method,metal precursor,surfactant,reductant and heating temperature on nanostructure and electronic configuration.The impor-tant role of the composition,size,and morphology of PtCu bimetallic catalysts for electro oxidation reac-tions has been further established for structure-dependency studies.The challenges and perspectives of nanocatalysts for ORR and MOR discussed in this work is to provide further insights into rational design for cost-effective materials for energy.