Novel carbon supported bimetallic palladium-lead (Pd-Pb/C) anode catalysts have been prepared for use in direct formic acid fuel cells (DFAFC). Comparative studies, with a Pd/C catalyst, of performances, deactivation, and reactivation were performed in a multi-anode DFAFC. These Pd-Pb/C catalysts were found to be more resistant to deactivation in the DFAFC than Pd/C and to consistently show better long-term performances. With high purity formic acid, a Pd-Pb(4:1)/C catalyst also provided superior initial performance. Initial performances are more sensitive to acetic acid in the formic acid than for Pd/C. Both the Pd-Pb/C and Pd/C catalysts can be repeatedly reactivated by applying a -0.3 V cell potential for 5 s. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.