TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The electrolyte is sulfonated fluorocarbon or perfluorosulfuric acid. The electrolyte is deposited inside the pore structure of the carbon aerogel support. The support (S1) used in method (M2) is carbon (preferably carbon aerogel). Preferred Method: (M1) Further involves contacting a metal precursor with a carbon aerogel support in a supercritical fluid; reducing the metal precursor by thermal reduction under inert atmosphere below 220degreesC or by hydrogen or hydrogen-inert gas mixture reduction below 150degreesC to form metallic particles; immersing the carbon aerogel supported catalyst in a thinly dispersed solid electrolyte solution; and removing the carbon aerogel supported catalyst from the solution to dry, repeating the steps of immersing the carbon aerogel supported catalyst in electrolyte solution and removing and agitating the electrolyte solution during the immersing. The agitating involves applying a low voltage pulsed current. The application of an electrical field comprises applying a low voltage pulsed current and applying a positively charged high voltage static charge. The total orientation of the charge of the low voltage pulsed current is positive. The peak high voltage static charge is more than 1000 (preferably 10000, especially 30000) V. The electrolyte solution is an ionic conductor and a container containing the carbon aerogel supported catalyst is a dielectric container, and further includes contacting the carbon aerogel supported catalyst with an electrode and applying a negative charge to a side of the dielectric container or inside the electrolyte without contacting the conductive carbon aerogel catalyst support.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - METALLURGY - Preferred Metal Catalyst: The metal particles have an average particle size of less than or equal to 2 (preferably 1.5) nm. The metal particles comprise platinum, platinum group metal and/or platinum alloy (preferably at least one platinum alloy, platinum ruthenium alloy, platinum cobalt alloy or platinum iridium cobalt alloy). EXAMPLE - RF aerogels were synthesized as follows. Resorcinol (7.76 g) was dissolved in a sodium carbonate solution (37 mg) of sodium carbonate in de-ionized water (89.05 g). Subsequently, formaldehyde (11.45 g) was added into the solution. The solution was then sealed in a glass vessel and kept one day at room temperature, one day at 50degreesC in an oven, and three days at 87degreesC in an oven. The resulting RF aerogel was placed in a tube furnace under an inert nitrogen atmosphere and heated in the furnace at a rate of approximately 15degreesC/minute to result in a final temperature of 1000degreesC, and the temperature of the furnace was maintained at 1000 degreesC for an additional six hours. The furnace was then cooled to room temperature with flowing nitrogen. The material removed as carbon aerogel from the tube was black in color. dimethyl(cyclooctadiene)platinum (II) (3.46 g) and carbon aerogel (7.36 g) were placed in the vessel together with a stir bar. The vessel was sealed and placed on a magnetic stirrer. A selected amount of carbon dioxide was charged to vessel. The vessel was then heated to 80degreesC and adjusted to 4000 psig. The conditions were maintained for 24 hours with stirring. The temperature of the vessel was then reduced to 60degreesC and carbon dioxide was vented out. The resulting 20 wt.% of platinum carbon aerogel supported catalyst precursor was subsequently placed in a furnace tube and heated for 6degreesC/minute, and the final temperature was 220degreesC. The furnace was kept at this temperature for another 15 minutes. The oven was then cooled to room temperature with flowing nitrogen. The material was removed from the tube to give the carbon aerogel supported platinum catalyst.