Abstract: An electrically conductive composite is provided having a mesoporous architecture that improves the accessibility of a nanoscopic catalyst, supported on conductive carbon, to a mass-transported reactant, or substrate, thereby leading to enhanced catalytic activity. In particular, the composite is useful for a new class of fuel-cell electrode architectures based on a composite aerogel that improves the accessibility of a carbon-supported Pt electrocatalyst to methanol (MeOH), leading to higher MeOH oxidation activities than observed at the native carbon supported Pt electrocatalyst. The composite comprises a nanoscopic Pt electrocatalyst, a carbon black electron-conducting support, and a silica aerogel.