The electrochemical production of hydrogen (H(2)) from liquid methanol in acidic aqueous media was investigated in a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyser, comprising a two-compartment glass cell with a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) composed of a Nafion (R) 117 membrane and gas diffusion electrodes (GDE). Methanol electrolysis was studied at concentrations ranging from 0 to 16 M, where 0 M corresponds to water electrolysis. The influence of catalysts (Pt and Pt-Ru), catalyst support (C or black), operating temperatures (23, 50 and 75 degrees C) and operating modes (dry and wet cathode) were evaluated in the static mode. A theoretical thermodynamic analysis of the system was done as a function of temperature. The limiting current densities, kinetic parameters, including the Tafel slopes and current exchange density, and apparent activation energies were determined. (C) 2010 Professor T. Nejat Veziroglu. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.