NOVELTY - Preparing (M1) a supported platinum and/or palladium electrocatalyst, involves contacting an electrically conductive particulate support containing adsorbed polynuclear hydroxo complexes (PHC) of at least one of platinum (Pt) or palladium (Pd) with a reducing agent.    USE - For preparing a supported platinum and/or palladium electrocatalyst useful in fuel cells i.e. direct liquid fuel cell and portable fuel cell (claimed) and for catalyzing the oxidation of borohydride compounds at the anode of a liquid fuel cell used to supply electrical energy to a virtually unlimited number of electric and electronic devices e.g. (cellular) phones, (portable) computers, portable description applications, consumer electronics, (portable) medical devices and components and their peripherals and as a generator for emergency situations such as a power outage.    ADVANTAGE - The electrocatalyst has an activity, determined in a polarization test and expressed as Coulomb/weight unit of Pt and/or Pd metal, which is at least 1.5 times an activity of an electrocatalyst which has been obtained by an identical process but without contacting the Pd or Pt species with an alkaline agent before contacting the support with the reducing agent. The fuel cells containing the catalysts with highly dispersed and peripherally located active metals affords higher power and produces more energy.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are included for the following:    (1) an electrocatalyst (E1) obtained by the method (M1);    (2) an electrocatalyst (E2) comprising metallic Pt and/or metallic Pd supported on carbon particles, where crystals of the metallic Pt and/or metallic Pd are present predominantly on outer surfaces of the carbon particles and have an average size of not more than about 4 nm at least on the outer surfaces;    (3) an anode for a liquid fuel cell comprising the electrocatalyst (E1);    (4) electrocatalytically oxidizing a borohydride compound in an alkaline medium, involving contacting the borohydride compound with the electrocatalyst (E2);    (5) increasing the activity of a supported metallic Pt and/or Pd catalyst without increasing the amount of Pt and/or Pt used for the production of the catalyst, involving contacting with a reducing agent, the support comprising adsorbed polynuclear hydroxo complexes (PHC) of at least one of Pt and Pd; and    (6) a fuel cell comprising the anode.