A comparative investigation was done on the interaction of glycerol using polyaniline supported Pt nanoparticles, Pt-Pd bimetallic nanoparticles and Ru doped Pt-Pd nanoparticles fabricated on indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes. Improvement of electrocatalytic activity on Pt was observed by modifying Pt with other metals. The oxidation of glycerol showed much less significant electrode poisoning when Ru nanoparticles was added to Pt-Pd bimetallic nanoparticles. The effect of concentration of glycerol on the oxidation current has also been investigated. Results show that nanoparticles incorporated polymer films could improve the electrocatalytic efficiency towards the oxidation of glycerol. The higher activity and stability of the composite electrodes could be due to the stabilization of metal nanoparticles in the polymeric environment and the presence of Pd and Ru nanoparticles in addition to Pt may inhibit the formation of strongly adsorbed CO species. The micrographs and elemental composition of metal dispersed polymer films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) and contact mode atomic force microscopic studies (AFM). © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.