An outer peripheral coating member contains first particles containing titanium oxide, second particles containing zirconium oxide, third particles containing niobium oxide or aluminum oxide, and a dispersion medium. It is preferable for the first particles to have at least two peak values R1 in a distribution of particle sizes of the first particles. One of the peak values R1 is within a range of 1 to 50 nm, and the other peak value R1 is within a range of 100 to 500 nm.

Disclosed are methods for synthesizing an ester or a carboxylic acid from an organic alcohol. To form the ester one reacts, in the presence of oxygen gas, the alcohol with methanol or ethanol. This reaction occurs in the presence of a catalyst comprising palladium and a co-catalyst comprising bismuth, tellurium, lead, cerium, titanium, zinc and/or niobium (most preferably at least bismuth and tellurium). Alternatively that catalyst can be used to generate an acid from that alcohol, when water is also added to the reaction mix.

A method of operating a fuel cell having an anode, a cathode and a polymer electrolyte membrane disposed between the anode and the cathode, includes feeding the anode with an impure hydrogen stream having low levels of carbon monoxide up to 5 ppm, wherein the anode includes an anode catalyst layer including a carbon monoxide tolerant catalyst material, wherein the catalyst material includes: (i) a binary alloy of PtX, wherein X is a metal selected from the group consisting of Nb and Ta, and wherein the atomic percentage of platinum in the alloy is from 45 to 80 atomic % and the atomic percentage of X in the alloy is from 20 to 55 atomic %; and (ii) a support material on which the PtX alloy is dispersed; wherein the total loading of platinum in the anode catalyst layer is from 0.01 to 0.2 mgPt/cm.sup.2.

A method of operating a fuel cell having an anode, a cathode and a polymer electrolyte membrane disposed between the anode and the cathode, includes feeding the anode with an impure hydrogen stream having low levels of carbon monoxide up to 5 ppm, and wherein the anode includes an anode catalyst layer including a carbon monoxide tolerant catalyst material, wherein the catalyst material includes: (i) a binary alloy of PtX, wherein X is a metal selected from the group consisting of rhodium and osmium, and wherein the atomic percentage of platinum in the alloy is from 45 to 80 atomic % and the atomic percentage of X in the alloy is from 20 to 55 atomic %; and (ii) a support material on which the PtX alloy is dispersed; wherein the total loading of platinum group metals (PGM) in the anode catalyst layer is from 0.01 to 0.2 mgPGM/cm.sup.2.

A process for the production of a carbon supported catalyst, which comprises the following steps: (a) precipitation of at least one metal oxide onto a surface of a carbon-comprising support by preparing an initial mixture, comprising the carbon-comprising support, at least one metal oxide precursor and an organic solvent, and spray-drying of the initial mixture to obtain an intermediate product, (b) loading of noble-metal-comprising particles onto the surface of the intermediate product in a liquid medium by deposition, precipitation and/or reduction of a noble-metal-comprising precursor with a reducing agent, (c) heat treatment of the catalyst precursor resulting from step (b) at a temperature higher than 400 C.

In a specific example according to the present invention, a method is disclosed in which a catalytic reaction is used in order to convert acetic acid, which has been produced by the biological processing or physicochemical processing of biomass, into an aromatic compound constituting a raw material for a high-added-value product such as BTX and, more particularly, p-xylene.

A process for producing methyl methacrylate, the process comprising contacting reactants comprising methacrolein, methanol and an oxygen-containing gas, under reaction conditions in the presence of a solid catalyst comprising palladium, bismuth and at least one third element X, where X is selected from the group consisting of P, S, Sc, V, Ga, Se, Y, Nb, Mo, La, Ce, and Nd, wherein the solid catalyst further comprises a support selected from at least one member of the group consisting of silica, alumina, calcium carbonate, active carbon, zinc oxide, titanium oxide and magnesium oxide.

A catalyst comprising a platinum group metal (group 10) supported on a carrier, said carrier comprising a silica core and a precipitate layer of comprising a metal oxide, sulfate or phosphate on said core; said catalyst also comprising a rhodium group metal (group 9) supported on said carrier.

Disclosed are methods for synthesizing an ester or a carboxylic acid from an organic alcohol. To form the ester one reacts, in the presence of oxygen gas, the alcohol with methanol or ethanol. This reaction occurs in the presence of a catalyst comprising palladium and a co-catalyst comprising bismuth, tellurium, lead, cerium, titanium, zinc and/or niobium (most preferably at least bismuth and tellurium). Alternatively that catalyst can be used to generate an acid from that alcohol, when water is also added to the reaction mix.

A process for the production of a carbon supported catalyst, which comprises the following steps: (a) precipitation of at least one metal oxide onto a surface of a carbon-comprising support by preparing an initial mixture, comprising the carbon-comprising support, at least one metal oxide precursor and an organic solvent, and spray-drying of the initial mixture to obtain an intermediate product, (b) loading of noble-metal-comprising particles onto the surface of the intermediate product in a liquid medium by deposition, precipitation and/or reduction of a noble-metal-comprising precursor with a reducing agent, (c) heat treatment of the catalyst precursor resulting from step (b) at a temperature higher than 400 C.