TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Membranes: Membranes with a thickness of less than 100 (preferably less than 50) microns, a tear strength of 5-500 N/cm, high flexibility (capable of being bent round a radius of down to 5 mm) and a proton conductivity of more than 1 mS/cm, based on glass, aluminum oxide, SiO2, SiC, Si3N4, BN, B4N, AlN, sialone or ZrO2 fibres, especially woven or non-woven glass fibres, preferably E-, R-, ECR- or S-glass, preferably coated (on the filaments) with SiO2, ZrO2, TiO2 and/or Al2O3. Woven glass fibre is made from 2-20 tex yarn, preferably 5.5 or 11 tex. The coating on the substrate contains an oxide, nitride or carbide of Al, Zr, Si or Ti. Preferably, the ZPP has a particle size of 1-1000 nm and the coating also contains oxide(s) of Al, Zr, Si and/or Ti.Preferred Method: The suspension or sol is applied by printing, pressing, impregnating, rolling, spreading, brushing, dip-coating, spraying or pouring, preferably on glass fibre textile with a porous ceramic coating.The nano-scale particles for the suspension are obtained by combining a soluble zirconium compound (preferably Zr nitrate, chloride, acetate, acetylacetonate or alcoholate) with a solution of phosphorus compounds (preferably phosphoric acid or a phosphate salt) in a micro-jet reactor.The suspension or sol may contain sol(s) of metals, metalloids and/or mixed metals, preferably obtained by hydrolysing suitable compounds with water, steam, ice and/or acid, especially by hydrolysing alcoholates, acetates, acetylacetonates, nitrates, carbonates or halides of Zr, Al, Si and/or Ti; suspended particles comprise oxides of these elements, preferably in amounts of 0.1-10 times that of the ZPP. The suspension or sol is then fixed by heating for 1 second to 10 minutes at 50-500 (preferably 150-300) degrees C.Preferred Electrode Units: Electrode units with proton-conducting components comprising:(i) an immobilised hydroxysilyl-alkyl-acid of sulfur or phosphorus or a salt thereof and optionally an oxide of Al, Si, Ti, Zr and/or P, and/or(ii) a Bronsted acid (preferably sulfuric, phosphoric, perchloric, nitric, hydrochloric, sulfurous or phosphorous acid (or their esters) and/or mono- or poly-meric organic acids) and an oxide as in (i).Suitable hydroxysilyl-alkyl acids are compounds of formula (((RO)y(R2)z)aSi(R1-SO3)a)x Mx+ (I) or ((RO)y(R2)zSi(R1-Ob-P(OcR3)O2-)a)x Mx+ (II), in whichR1 = 1-12C alkyl or alkylene, 5-8C cycloalkyl, -(CH2)n-Cyc-(CH2)m- or -(CH2)n-Phe-(CH2)m-;n, m = 0-6;M = H, NH4 or a metal;Cyc = cyclohexylene;Phe = phenylene;x = 1-4;y = 1-3;z = 0-2;a = 1-3;(y+z) = 4-a;b, c = 0 or 1;R, R2 = H, methyl, ethyl, propyl or butyl;R3 = methyl, ethyl, propyl or butylpreferably trihydroxysilypropyl-sulfonic acid, trihydroxysilylpropylmethylphosphonic acid or dihydroxysilylpropyl.sulfonic diacid.These acids are immobilised with a hydrolysed phosphorus compound or a hydrolysed nitrate, oxynitrate, chloride, oxychloride, carbonate, alcoholate, acetate, acetylacetonate of a metal or metalloid, or with a compound obtained by hydrolysis of diethyl phosphite, diethyl ethylphosphonate, titanium propylate or ethylate, tetra-ethyl or tetramethyl orthosilicate, zirconium nitrate, oxynitrate, propylate, acetate or acetylacetonate or methyl phosphate, or with precipitated silica.The proton-conducting components contain proton-conductors selected from titanium and zirconium phosphates and phosphonates, iso- and hetero-poly-acids (preferably phosphotungstic and phosphosilicic acid, or nano-crystalline metal oxides (preferably powdered oxides of Al, Zr, Ti or Si).Membrane electrode units can be operated at temperatures of at least 80 (preferably at least 100, especially at least 120) degreesC and will tolerate a bending radius of down to 5000 (preferably 100, especially 50) mm. The anode layers and cathode layers contain proton-conducting components of the same composition but different catalysts (both with electrically conductive supports).    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ELECTRICAL POWER AND ENERGY - Preferred Applications: Motor vehicles (mobile systems) and domestic energy systems (stationary systems). EXAMPLE - Aqueous solutions (3 wt.%) of phosphoric acid and zirconium nitrate were combined in a micro-jet reactor (as described in WO 00/61275) by passing through 300-micron nozzles at a pressure of 60 bar. This gave a milky/opaque product with a bimodal particle size distribution (0.7 and 3 microns), which was evaporated to give a suspension with a concentration of 10 wt.% and good long-term stability. Woven glass fibre fabric (S-glass) with a thickness of 70 microns was impregnated by spreading on the suspension with a doctor blade (5 times, with hot-air pre-fixing at 150 degrees C between passes) and then heat-fixing for 15 minutes with hot air at 300 degrees C. This gave a membrane with a conductivity of 4 mS/cm at 80% RH, which was stable in water and methanol and was suitable for use in a direct methanol fuel cell.