Fuel cells are attractive alternatives to combustion engines for electrical power generation because of their very high efficiencies and low pollution levels. While many types of fuel cells, differentiated primarily by the type of electrolyte, are under development, few arecommercially available. This is, in part, due to fundamental limitations in materials properties. For example, while solid oxide fuel cells offer excellent fuel efficiency, their high temperature operation, necessitated by the poor ionic conductivity of the zirconia electrolyte, results in high costs. Similarly, the heat and moisture sensitivity of polymeric proton conductors results in complex and costly fuel cell systems. To address these challenges, there is a clear need for fuel cells that operate at intermediate temperatures, in the 200 – 600 ºC range, which ensures high catalytic activity while avoiding the inherent difficulties of high-temperature operation. ... More