TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Composition: The catalyst contains Cu and Zr in a molar ratio of 1:200-1:1. The catalyst contains Cu at 1-50 wt.%. The catalyst contains metallic Cu at 50-80% of the total Cu content.Preferred Component: The catalyst contains copper oxide crystallites having an average size of less than 40 Angstrom .    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Material: The Cu compounds are organic or inorganic Cu(II) salts, e.g. Cu(II) acetylacetonate, Cu(II) acetate, Cu(II) nitrate or Cu(II) chloride. The Zr compounds are hydrolyzable Zr compounds, particularly Zr(IV) alkoxides, e.g. Zr(IV) propoxide or Zr(IV) oxy salts, e.g. Zr(IV) oxy nitrate or Zr(IV) oxychloride.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Method: The reforming process is a steam reforming process. The templating procedure comprises forming an organic polymer in a surfactant solution, optionally removing the surfactant, coating the organic polymer with Cu and Zr compounds and removing organic components by heating. The organic polymer is formed by free radical polymerization. The heating comprises a first heating step in an inert atmosphere and a second heating step in an oxygen containing atmosphere. The heating temperature is from 420-600degreesC. The method comprises activating the catalyst by oxidation. Preferred Material: The organic polymer is an optionally crosslinked acrylate-based polymer. The surfactant is a polyoxyethylene containing fatty acid ester or a polyoxyethylene ether. EXAMPLE - For the fabrication of the catalyst a templating procedure was applied. At first, a porous polymer gel was formed by free radical polymerization of organic monomers in a highly concentrated surfactant solution. This gel was then used as the template in a sol-gel nanocoating process. For the preparation of the polymer gel, 25 g of structure directing surfactant Tween 60 (RTM: polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate), was dissolved in 50 ml of water. The monomers (6.25 g acrylamide and 6.25 g glycidyl methacrylate) were added to this homogenous solution. Upon addition of 2.51 g of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a crosslinker, the solution became turbid. The initiator (0.63 g potassium persulfate) was dissolved in the mixture, which was then poured into test tubes. Polymerization was carried out at 60degreesC (at this temperature the solution became clear first before it went opaque due to the formation of the polymer). After 16 hours, the gel was taken out of the test tubes and cut into disks. The surfactant was removed by extraction (ethanol, 2 days) and subsequent washing with water. Finally, the gel was transferred into 2-propanol. 20.0 g Zr(IV) propoxide and 2.0 g Cu(ll) acetylacetonate (CuAcac2) were stirred over night. The resulting dark blue solution is almost saturated with the copper salt. The polymer gels were initially soaked in this solution over night and then in a hydrolysis solution for 24h. The hydrolysis solution was prepared from equal volumes of water and 2-propanol and saturated with CuAcac2 by stirring it with an excess of the salt for several hours. The undissolved salt was removed by decanting the supersaturated solution. After drying, the polymer gel was removed from the metal oxide by heating the hybrid material over 2 hours to 500degreesC under a nitrogen atmosphere; then the gas was switched to oxygen and the temperature was maintained for 10 hours.