Abstract. In the present work, the preparation of high surface area (256 m2 g-1) tungsten carbide microspheres (TCMSs) by the aid of a simple hydrothermal method is realized and the performance of the Pt electrocatalyst supported on the as-prepared TCMSs towards the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is investigated. The SEM micrographs indicated that both the synthesized carbon microspheres …