TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The mesoporous metal oxide matrix comprises mesoporous crystalline silica matrix, a mesoporous crystalline silica-aluminate matrix and a mesoporous crystalline zeolite matrix. The mesoporous crystalline metal oxide matrix comprises a mesostructure with at least one dimension of 2-50 nm, preferably 3-10 nm. The heteropolyacid bound in the crystalline metal oxide matrix adopts at least one structure comprising keggin structure, silverton structure, dawson structure, waugh structure, and the anderson structure. The heteropolyacid has a structure of formula (H3MX12O40) or (CszH3-zMX12O40). The metal of the mesoporous metal oxide matrix comprises metals consisting of silicon, titanium, phosphor, antimony, cobalt, iron, manganese, silver, copper, potassium, rubidium, thallium, sodium, aluminum, barium, calcium, beryllium, magnesium, nickel, palladium, strontium, tin, vanadium, zinc, boron, chromium, gallium, indium, tungsten, yttrium, cerium, germanium, ruthenium, selenium, tellurium, tantalum, niobium, and molybdenum, rhenium, praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, europium, holmium, thorium, uranium, barium, plutonium, neptunium, lanthanum, or strontium. The metal oxide comprises silicon dioxide (SiO2), titanium dioxide (TiO2), antimony tetroxide (Sb2O4), cobalt(II,III) oxide (Co3O4), iron(II,III) oxide (Fe3O4), manganese(II,III) oxide (Mn3O4), silver(I,III) oxide (AgO), copper(I) oxide (Cu2O), potassium oxide (K2O), rubidium oxide (Rb2O), silver(I) oxide (Ag2O), thallium oxide (Tl2O), aluminum monoxide (AlO), barium oxide (BaO), beryllium oxide (BeO), cadmium oxide (CdO), calcium oxide (CaO), cobalt(II) oxide (CoO), copper(II) oxide (CuO), iron(II) oxide (FeO), magnesium oxide (MgO), nickel(II) oxide (NiO), palladium(II) oxide (PdO), strontium oxide (SrO), tin(II) oxide (SnO), titanium(II) oxide (TiO), vanadium(II) oxide (VO), zinc oxide (ZnO), aluminum oxide (Al2O3), antimony trioxide (Sb2O3), phosphorus trioxide (P4O6), phosphorus pentoxide (P2O5), rhenium trioxide (ReO3), rhenium(VII) oxide (Re2O7), praseodymium(IV) oxide (PrO2), dipraseodymium trioxide (Pr2O3), neodynum oxide (Nd2O3), samarium(III) oxide (Sm2O3), europium oxide, holmium(III) oxide (Ho2O3), thorium dioxide (ThO2), uranium dioxide (UO2), uranium trioxide (UO3), barium oxide (BaO), plutonium dioxide (PuO2), neptunium dioxide (NpO2), lanthanum(III) oxide (La2O3), strontium oxide (SrO), boron oxide (B2O3), chromium(III) oxide (Cr2O3), gallium(III) oxide (Ga2O3), indium(III) oxide (In2O3), iron(III) oxide (Fe2O3), nickel(III) oxide (Ni2O3), thallium(III) oxide (Tl2O3), titanium(III) oxide (Ti2O3), tungsten(III) oxide (W2O3), vanadium(III) oxide (V2O3), yttrium(III) oxide (Y2O3), cerium(IV) oxide (CeO2), chromium(IV) oxide (CrO2), germanium dioxide (GeO2), manganese(IV) oxide (MnO2), ruthenium(IV) oxide (RuO2), selenium dioxide (SeO2), tellurium dioxide (TeO2), tin dioxide (SnO2), tungsten(IV) oxide (WO2), vanadium(IV) oxide (VO2), zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), antimony pentoxide (Sb2O5), niobium pentoxide, tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5), vanadium(V) oxide (V2O5), chromium trioxide (CrO3), molybdenum(VI) oxide (MoO3), selenium trioxide (SeO3), tellurium trioxide (TeO3), tungsten trioxide (WO3), manganese(VII) oxide (M112O7), osmium tetroxide (OsO4, or ruthenium tetroxide (RUO4). The zeolite comprises chabazite (Ca2(Al4Si8O24).13H2O), eroionite (Ca (4.5) (Al9Si27O72).27H2O), mordenite (Na(AlSi5O12).3H2O), chinoptilolite, faujasite ((Na2,Ca)30(Al,Si)192O384).260H2O), phillipsite ((K,Na)5(Al5Si11O32).10H2O), zeolite A (Na1-2Al12Si12O48), zeolite L (K6Na3Al9Si27O72.21H2O), Zeolite Y, zeolite X (Na20-Al2O3-2.5SiO2) or ZSM-5 (NanAlnSi96-nO192.16H2O) (where n is greater than 0 and less than 27). The electrolyte comprises a mesoporous crystalline SiO2 matrix and phosphotungstic acid (HPW) bound within the mesoporous crystalline SiO2 matrix. The molar ratio of the organometallic precursor to the acid is 100/1 to 5/1. The organometallic precursor comprises silicon alkoxides, titanium alkoxides, aluminum alkoxides, zirconium alkoxides, titanium alkoxides, tungsten alkoxides, germanium alkoxides and/or indium alkoxides. The acid comprises hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, hydrogen bromide, perchloric acid, formic acid and/or acetic acid. The surfactant comprises amphoteric surfactants, anionic surfactants, cationic surfactants and/or nonionic surfactants. The anionic surfactant comprises sodium dodecyl sulfate, sodium pentane sulfonate, dehydrocholic acid, glycolithocholic acid ethyl ester, ammonium lauryl sulfate and other alkyl sulfate salts, sodium laureth sulfate, alkyl benzene sulfonate, soaps and/or fatty acid salts. The nonionic surfactant comprises poloaxamers, alkyl poly(ethylene oxide), diethylene glycol monohexyl ether, copolymers of poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(propylene oxide), hexaethylene glycol monohexadecyl ether, alkyl polyglucosides, digitonin, ethylene glycol monodecyl ether, cocamide monoethanolamine, cocamide diethanolamine, cocamide triethanolamine, fatty alcohols, sorbitan esters, oligomeric alkyl poly(ethylene oxides) and/or alkyl-phenol poly(ethylene oxides), preferably poloaxamer or a mixture of different poloaxamers. The poloaxamer is P123 or F127 or F108. The cationic surfactant comprises octadecyltrimethylammonium bromide, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, dodecylethyldimethylammonium bromide, cetylpyridinium chloride, polyethoxylated tallow amine, hexadecyltrimethylammonium p-toluenesulfonate, benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride, alkyltrimethyl quaternary ammonium surfactants, gemini surfactants, bolaform surfactants, tri-headgroup cationic surfactants, tetraheadgroup rigid bolaform surfactants, 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, and/or N-trimethoxylsilylpropyl-N,N,N''-trimethylaminonium. The amphoteric surfactant comprises dodecyl betaine, sodium 2,3-dimercaptopropanesulfonate monohydrate, dodecyl dimethylamine oxide, cocamidopropyl betaine, 3-(N,N-dimethyl(3-palmitoylaminopropyl)ammonio)-propanesulfonate and/or coco ampho glycinate. The molar ratio of the surfactant to the organometallic precursor in the sol is 0.5-10 mol.%. The metal mesh or metal foam or porous metal substrate or porous metal support is made of a material comprising titanium, antimony, cobalt, iron, manganese, silver, copper, lithium, rubidium, thallium, aluminum, barium, calcium, beryllium, magnesium, nickel, palladium, strontium, tin, vanadium, zinc, bismuth, boron, chromium, gallium, indium, tungsten, yttrium, cerium, germanium, ruthenium, selenium, tellurium, tantalum, niobium, molybdenum and/or alloys of the metals.M = central atom which is either P or Si or Ge or As;X = heteroatom which is either V or W or Mo; andz = 0-3.Preferred Method: The fuel cell operates at a temperature of between room temperature to 600 degrees C. The impregnation comprises: subjecting the mesoporous crystalline metal oxide matrix to a vacuum; and immersing the mesoporous crystalline metal oxide matrix in a solution comprising the heteropolyacid under a vacuum. The calcination is carried out at 300-650 degrees C. The aging step comprises leaving the sol to evaporate, or heating the sol at a temperature of 80-150 degrees C at a pressure above atmospheric pressure, where the sol comprises an acid. The sol is applied to a support material before aging comprising metal mesh, metal foam, a porous metal substrate, and a porous metal support. The sol is applied to the metal mesh or metal foam or porous metal substrate or porous metal support by spraying or pressing. EXAMPLE - Typical composition comprised of (in mol): phosphotungstic acid (0.00011); and tetraethyl orthosilicate (0.1).