TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Process: The process may include drying the resulting substrate before contacting with a reducing agent. The transition metal ion-containing solution having a pH of at least 0 is obtained by reacting a transition metal with a compound having a non-complexing anion to promote precipitation of anion and cation, and separating out the precipitate. The supported hydrogen-generation catalyst may be produced by electrochemical plating, chemical vapor deposition, or by coating a substrate with a transition metal via sputter deposition.Preferred Components: The transition metal ion is an anion, a cation, an anion complex, or a cation complex of ruthenium, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, manganese, rhodium, rhenium, platinum, palladium, chromium, silver, osmium, iridium, lanthanum, cerium, its oxides, its borides, and/or their alloys. The reducing agent is metal hydride, hydrazine, hydrogen gas, glucose, hydroxylamine, carbon monoxide, dithionate, sulfur dioxide, borohydride, and/or alcohol. The metal hydride solution may comprise a stabilizing agent to provide a pH of at least 7.Preferred Compounds: The anionic complex of transition metal is of formula (M-y+X6)-(y-6) (where M is a transition metal, y is the valence of the transition metal, and X is an anion with a single negative charge). The metal hydride is sodium borohydride, lithium borohydride, potassium borohydride, ammonium borohydride, and/or tetramethyl ammonium borohydride. The non-complexing anion is perchlorate, hexafluorophosphate, and/or tetrafluoroborate. The stabilizing agent is hydroxide-containing compound (preferably sodium hydroxide, lithium hydroxide, or potassium hydroxide); compounds containing lead, tin, cadmium, zinc, gallium, or mercury; and/or sulfur-containing compounds.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Material: The substrate comprises ceramics, plastics, polymers, copolymers, fluorinated polymer or copolymer, glass, fibers, ropes, non-woven, woven, textiles, fabrics, carbons, carbon-fibers, ion exchange resin, metal, alloy, wire, and/or wire mesh. EXAMPLE - Ruthenium trichloride (1 g) was dissolved in 10% hydrochloric acid (20 ml) to form chlororuthenic acid. The resulting solution was exchanged by soaking on anionic resin beads having a mesh size of 30. The resin beads were rinsed with water to remove excess acid and ruthenium salts. The exchanged resin beads were loaded with ruthenium (5 wt.%) after 3-4 treatments and treated with a reducing agent solution containing 20 wt.% sodium borohydride, 10 wt.% sodium hydroxide, and 70 wt.% water. The dark red resin beads turned black as ruthenium complex was reduced to ruthenium metal. The resin beads were ready for use after rinsing with water.