Thin film catalytic material for use in fuel

1. A catalytic material comprising:

(i) a support material; and

(ii) a thin film catalyst coating having an inner face adjacent to the support material and an outer face, the thin film catalyst coating having a mean thickness of ≦8 nm, wherein

at least 40% of the support material surface area is covered by the thin film catalyst coating,

the thin film catalyst coating comprises a first metal selected from the platinum group metals and one or more second metals different to the first metal and are selected from the group consisting of transition metals, rare earth metals, alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, Group IVA metals and Group VA metals, or an oxide thereof,

the atomic percentage of first metal in the thin film catalyst coating is not uniform through the thickness of the thin film catalyst coating, and

the atomic percentage of the first metal at the outer face of the thin film catalyst coating is 50-100 at % and wherein the atomic percentage of the first metal at the outer face of the thin film catalyst coating is greater than the atomic percentage of the first metal at the inner face of the thin film catalyst coating.

2. The catalytic material according to claim 1 , wherein the first metal is platinum or iridium.

3. The catalytic material according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more second metals are selected from the group consisting of chromium, cobalt, nickel, zinc, yttrium, niobium, tin, tantalum, scandium, palladium, iridium, lanthanum, copper, titanium, silver, gold, rhodium, platinum, tungsten, osmium, vanadium, ruthenium, iron, cerium, gadolinium, sodium, potassium, calcium, strontium, lead and bismuth.

4. The catalytic material according to claim 1 , wherein there is alloying of the first metal and the one or more second metals.

5. The catalytic material according to claim 1 , wherein the support material is a fibre.

6. The catalytic material according to claim 1 , wherein the support material is a particulate.

7. The catalytic material according to claim 1 , wherein an interlayer is present between the support material and the thin film catalyst coating.

8. The catalytic material according to claim 7 , wherein the interlayer is selected from the group consisting of a metal, a metal nitride, a mixed metal nitride, a metal oxide, carbon or boron-doped diamond.

9. The catalytic material according to claim 1 , wherein the catalytic material further comprises an additional catalyst component comprising a third and optionally one or more fourth metals.

10. A catalyst layer comprising a plurality of catalytic materials according to claim 1 .

11. An electrode comprising a gas diffusion layer and a catalyst layer according to claim 10 .

12. A catalysed membrane comprising a proton conducting membrane and a catalyst layer according to claim 10 .

13. A catalysed transfer substrate comprising a transfer substrate and a catalyst layer according to claim 10 .

14. A membrane electrode assembly comprising an electrode according to claim 11 .

15. A fuel cell comprising a catalysed membrane according to claim 12 .

16. The catalytic material according to claim 1 , wherein the thin film catalyst coating has a mean thickness of ≦5 nm.

17. The catalytic material according to claim 1 , wherein at least 90% of the support material surface area is covered by the thin film catalyst coating.

18. The catalytic material according to claim 1 , wherein the support material comprises carbon fibre, polybenzimidazole fibre, polyimide fibre, polytetrafluoroethylene fibre, metal oxide fibre, metal nitride fibre, metal carbide fibre or metal fibre.

19. The catalytic material according to claim 1 , wherein the catalyst layer has a porosity of ≧20%.