Formic acid fuel cell is a kind of fuel cell developed in recent years with promising commercial prospects. However, its development and commercialization are restricted by some factors, in which anodic catalyst is recognized as one of the most important factors. In this paper, some significant researches and attempts of promoting catalytic activity and poison tolerance are introduced, including novel preparation approaches, usage of novel supporting materials, as well as the design of multi-component catalyst by doping hetero elements. Concretely, the researches cover synthetic methods such as electrolytic deposition, organic colloid method, impregnation, study of using carbon nanotubes, graphene and complex materials as supports, and relevant work of adding other elements to prepare alloy catalysts and complex catalysts. Furthermore, the future development of formic acid fuel cell is also prospected. Contents 1 Introduction
2 Synthetic technology
2.1 Electrolytic deposition
2.2 Organic colloid method
3 Effect of different supports on catalytic activity
3.1 Carbon nanotube
3.2 Graphene
3.3 Complex materials
4 Addition of other elements
4.1 Pt-based catalysts
4.2 Pd-based catalysts
5 Effect of structures on activity and stability
5.1 Core-shell structure
5.2 Hollow nanosphere structure
5.3 Nanowire stru cture
6 Conclusions and outlook