TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: In (M2), when the temperature during at least 1000 hours, then the temperature is at least 850degreesC and the partial pressure of H2O is at least 5 atm. In (M2), the steam to carbon ratio is at most 3; when the averaged over the at least 1000 hours, then N is greater than 0.1, and the method has a DELTATapproach in the range of 1degreesCxN less than DELTATapproach less than 25degreesCxN (I); when the averaged over the at least 1000 hours, N is at least 0.5 or at least 1.0. In (M2), the stream containing the methane is passed into a reaction microchannel containing the catalyst; the heat is transferred into the catalyst from a microchannel heat exchanger that is adjacent to the reaction microchannel. In (M3), the stream is passed into a reaction microchannel containing the catalyst; the heat is transferred into the catalyst from a microchannel heat exchanger that is adjacent to the reaction microchannel. In (M3), when the averaged over is at least 500 hours, then the method has (I). (M1) further involves: depositing a catalytic metal on the hydrothermally stabilized support; reducing the metal at at least 300degreesC. The step of providing an alumina stabilizer occurs subsequent to the step of applying the coating composition onto a substrate. The step of applying involves dip coating. In (M1), during hydrothermal pre-aging, the H2O partial pressure is 1 - 25 atm and the temperature is 900 - 925degreesC.Preferred Components: (M3), the catalyst comprises Rh and methane (at least 2 mol) are converted per gram Rh each minute.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The metal comprises Rh. The alumina precursor comprises an alumina sol. The catalytic metal comprises ruthenium, rhodium, iridium, nickel, palladium and/or platinum.Preferred Coating Composition: The coating composition comprises an alumina sol and soluble Mg.Preferred Substrate: The substrate's surface is oxidized prior to applying the coating composition. The substrate is metal or FeCrAlY. EXAMPLE - A solid loading catalyst slurry (17 - 22 wt.%) was prepared by mixing powder with deionized water. Two different powders were used for the ball mill, standard MgO-Al2O3 spinel and hydrothermally treated MgO-Al2O3 spinel. The hydrothermally treated spinel had a higher density than the fresh spinel due to the formation of alpha-alumina during the hydrothermal treatment. Solid/liquid mixture was milled along with 3 mm alumina grinding balls for 24 or 62 hours, depending on the type of the starting material. Standard MgO-Al2O3 required 24 hours of milling while the hydrothermally treated MgO-Al2O3 required 62 hours to achieve an average particle size that was less than 1 microns. After the milling, particle size analysis showed average particle sizes of 0.5 microns and 0.8 microns, for standard and hydrothermally treated catalysts, respectively. Nitric acid was added to adjust the pH to 4, and 1 wt.% of PQ Al2O3 was added as binding agent. The pH was changed to 4.5 - 5 significantly reduced the slurry viscosity. Therefore, by modifying the pH, the slurry can be prepared with higher solid loadings, which reduces the number of dipping or spin coating in the coating steps, without compromising coating quality. In addition, it was found that the sedimentation rate of the higher solid loading slurries (17 - 22 solids%) was comparable to a pH-unmodified slurry with a much lower solid loading of 11%. A catalyst slurry with solid loading (13.8 wt.%) was separately prepared by mixing the above prepared slurry with PQ Al2O3, surfactant polyoxyethylene 10 lauryl ether (Cl12EO10) and 2 wt.%/HNO3. The final weight ratio of slurry was: support powder:PQ Al2O3: Cl2EO10=100:5:8, pH=3.4. Metal foils and metal felts were coated with the slurries. FeCrAlY intermetallic alloy in the form of felt structure was fired at 900degreesC for 2 hours in a box furnace. At this temperature, Al migrated to the surface and oxidized to form a native alpha-Al2O3 scale. The formation of a uniform layer of metal oxide scale on the intermetallic alloy substrates significantly improved the adhesion between the oxide coating and the alloy substrate. Upon cooling to room temperature, the felt was coated with the obtained slurry. The felt was first immersed vertically in the slurry, then withdrawn at a constant rate of 5 - 10 cm/minutes, dried at room temperature for 10 minutes, then dried at 110degreesC in vacuum oven. The dip coating step was repeated 3 times to achieve the target weight loading density of 0.09 g cat/in2. After the final drying, the substrate was calcined at 5degreesC/minutes to 500degreesC and held at that temperature for 2 hours. A control piece was made using the slurry without any modifications, dip coating without controlling the rate of substrate withdrawal. By modification of slurry pH, the slurry became less viscous, allowing a higher solid concentration without affecting the flow characteristic during dip coating. As a result, a uniform catalyst layer can be obtained in minimum number of dips. The dip cycle was reduced from 5 - 3 with an increase in solid loading of from 11 - 22.20 wt.%. Examining the coated substrate under a microscope showed a uniform coating layer with minimal cracks. The FeCrAlY foil was cleaned in acetone and isopropanol prior to firing to 900degreesC for 2 hours. A hydrothermal test was performed on this foil at 900degreesC with H2O (60%) for 100 hours at 12 atm in a sealed Inconel tube. After the hydrothermal test, the coated foil then underwent thermal cycling from 100 - 900degreesC at a heating and cooling rate of 5degreesC/minutes for 10 times. No spalling of the catalyst powder was observed at the end of both tests. The catalysts for comparing pre-aging treatments were prepared as follows: the catalyst was reduced under H2 (10%) in N2 stream at 300degreesC for 1 hour. A finned substrate was coated with both slurry and sol coating techniques. The finned substrate, which was more stable than felts in prolonged steam reforming conditions, were a thin FeCrAlY plate with surface fins. These supports were cleaned and heat-treated to grow thin aluminum oxide layer. Each substrate was cleaned ultrasonically in 2-propanol and then nitric acid (20 wt.%) for 20 minutes. After rinsing with deionized water, the fins were dried at 100degreesC for 30 minutes. A plate with surface fins was solution coated with alumina sol (AlOOH) and a solution containing stabilizing ion as follows: SASOL 14N4-25 (RTM; alumina sol) was coated onto the fin surface by submerging the fin into the sol. The excess sol was removed. The coated fin was dried at 100degreesC at a rate of 3.5degreesC/minutes for 1 hour, stabilized, calcined, pre-aged, impregnated, dried ad calcined. The catalyst was tested for surface area at 925degreesC, 100 hours, steamed at 25 atmosphere and surface area reduction (%) was found to be 78.1%. The performance and stability in methane steam reforming conditions Steam methane reforming (SMR) reaction tests were carried out as follows: On fresh, hydrothermally-treated and thermally-treated catalysts at 15 atm, 850degreesC, S/C=3/1, contact time (CT)=4.5 minutes. A fresh (not preaged) Rh/La/Al2O3 catalyst (25 mg/in2) tested over 750 hours of life testing, showed steady methane conversion and carbon monoxide selectivity for approximately 250 hours. The activity of the catalyst showed a continual decline over the next 500 hours. The results showed activity of catalyst whose support had been hydrothermally treated at 1 atm.