TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Materials: The negatively charged support material is a carbon-based porous support material, silicon oxide-based porous support material, titanium oxide-based porous support material, or vanadium oxide-based porous support material. The carbon-based porous support material is carbon black, carbon molecular sieve, or carbon nanotube. The catalytic metal precursor ion is an atomic group comprising platinum, ruthenium, gold, palladium, rhodium, iridium, and/or osmium. The catalytic metal particles have an average particle size of 1.8-4.5 nm. Preferred Method: The reduction of the catalytic metal precursor ion is performed at 380degreesC. Preferred Composition: The catalytic metal is present at 8-30 wt.% of the porous support material.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Materials: The negatively charged support material is a carbon-based porous support material, silicon oxide-based porous support material, titanium oxide-based porous support material, or vanadium oxide-based porous support material. The carbon-based porous support material is carbon black, carbon molecular sieve, or carbon nanotube. The catalytic metal precursor ion is an atomic group comprising platinum, ruthenium, gold, palladium, rhodium, iridium, and/or osmium. The catalytic metal particles have an average particle size of 1.8-4.5 nm. Preferred Method: The reduction of the catalytic metal precursor ion is performed at 380degreesC. Preferred Composition: The catalytic metal is present at 8-30 wt.% of the porous support material.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Materials: The positively charged polymer ion is derived from a cationic polymer having a nitrogen atom in its backbone or branch. The positively charged polymer ion is derived from polyallylamine hydrochloride, polyethylenimine, polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride, polymethacryloxyethyltrialkylammonium halide, aminoethylated polyacrylamide, Hofman-degradated polyacrylamide, polyethyleneamine, cationized starch, chitosan, poly L-lysin (PLL), pAMEAMA dendrimer, poly(L-glutamic acid) (PLGA), poly(1-methyl-2-vinylpyridine) (PVP), poly L-ornithine, polyspermine, and/or diethylaminoethyl dextran (DEAE dextran). The polymer ion is derived from a polymer electrolyte having a weight average molecular weight of 50-15000. The reducing solution consists of hydrazine, formaldehyde, formic acid, or polyol. Preferred Composition: The polymer electrolyte is present at 4-11 wt.% of the porous support material.