The article reviews recent advancements in strategies to enhance the electro-oxidation of ethanol (EOR) on Pt and Pd catalysts, focusing on the cleavage of the chemically stable C—C bond. The C—C bond's high activation energy (87.3 kcal mol⁻¹) and the incomplete oxidation pathway (C2 pathway) significantly hinder the energy density output of direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs). To address this, researchers have explored various optimization strategies, including: 1. **Core-Shell Nanostructures with Alloying Effects**: Constructing core-shell nanostructures with alloying effects, such as Pt-Au, Pt-Ir, and Pt-Cu, to modulate electronic structures and increase lattice strain, enhancing C1 pathway selectivity. 2. **Doping Other Metal Atoms**: Introducing foreign atoms like Ru, Rh, Sn, and Ga into Pt and Pd catalysts to improve catalytic activity and stability by forming alloying effects and enhancing the adsorption of ethanol molecules. 3. **Engineering Composite Catalysts with Interface Synergism**: Designing composite catalysts with interface synergism, such as Pd-Au heterophase nanosheets and Rh-SnO₂ interfaces, to facilitate the 12-electron process and reduce the C2 pathway. 4. **Cascade Catalytic Sites**: Utilizing cascade catalytic sites to accelerate the C—C bond breaking kinetics, such as Pt/Al₂O₃@TiAl catalysts that first dehydrate ethanol to ethylene and then oxidize ethylene to CO₂. 5. **Doping Effect**: Doping foreign atoms to construct surface defects, such as RhxO–Pt NCs, to promote C—C bond cleavage and reduce CO₂ generation potential. The article also discusses the catalytic mechanisms and correlations between catalyst structure and catalytic efficiency, highlighting the limitations and feasible improvement directions for ethanol electro-oxidation. The key challenges include improving the C1 pathway selectivity, enhancing stability, and reducing costs, with potential solutions involving the development of corrosion-resistant supports, optimizing catalyst layer design, and exploring new materials and structures.The article reviews recent advancements in strategies to enhance the electro-oxidation of ethanol (EOR) on Pt and Pd catalysts, focusing on the cleavage of the chemically stable C—C bond. The C—C bond's high activation energy (87.3 kcal mol⁻¹) and the incomplete oxidation pathway (C2 pathway) significantly hinder the energy density output of direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs). To address this, researchers have explored various optimization strategies, including: 1. **Core-Shell Nanostructures with Alloying Effects**: Constructing core-shell nanostructures with alloying effects, such as Pt-Au, Pt-Ir, and Pt-Cu, to modulate electronic structures and increase lattice strain, enhancing C1 pathway selectivity. 2. **Doping Other Metal Atoms**: Introducing foreign atoms like Ru, Rh, Sn, and Ga into Pt and Pd catalysts to improve catalytic activity and stability by forming alloying effects and enhancing the adsorption of ethanol molecules. 3. **Engineering Composite Catalysts with Interface Synergism**: Designing composite catalysts with interface synergism, such as Pd-Au heterophase nanosheets and Rh-SnO₂ interfaces, to facilitate the 12-electron process and reduce the C2 pathway. 4. **Cascade Catalytic Sites**: Utilizing cascade catalytic sites to accelerate the C—C bond breaking kinetics, such as Pt/Al₂O₃@TiAl catalysts that first dehydrate ethanol to ethylene and then oxidize ethylene to CO₂. 5. **Doping Effect**: Doping foreign atoms to construct surface defects, such as RhxO–Pt NCs, to promote C—C bond cleavage and reduce CO₂ generation potential. The article also discusses the catalytic mechanisms and correlations between catalyst structure and catalytic efficiency, highlighting the limitations and feasible improvement directions for ethanol electro-oxidation. The key challenges include improving the C1 pathway selectivity, enhancing stability, and reducing costs, with potential solutions involving the development of corrosion-resistant supports, optimizing catalyst layer design, and exploring new materials and structures.