Abstract: Provided is a catalyst having a core-shell structure (which employs a core comprised of a highly electrochemically stable, relatively inexpensive material and thereby reduces the amount of platinum used, while providing a better cost/performance ratio in catalytic activity as compared to when platinum particles are used as a catalyst) for use in an oxygen reduction reaction (cathode reaction in a fuel cell), and to provide an oxygen reduction method using the catalyst. Provided is a core-shell catalyst for use for an oxygen reduction reaction, including: a core that is comprised of silver; and a shell layer that comprised of platinum, the shell layer being comprised of platinum atoms constituting a (111) plane of or a (001) plane of a face centered cubic lattice, in the shell layer, a nearest neighbor platinum-platinum interatomic distance falling within the range of from 2.81 {acute over (?)} to 2.95 {acute over (?)}.

Abstract: A method for accurately evaluating the performance of fuel-cell electrode catalysts, a method of search for fuel-cell electrode catalysts having excellent performance, and fuel-cell electrode catalysts having new and excellent catalytic activity searched for by the above method. In a method for evaluating the performance of fuel-cell electrode catalysts composed of conductive carriers on which catalytic metal is supported, the oxygen atom adsorption energy on the catalytic metal surface obtained through a molecular simulation analysis is used as an indicator of the performance evaluation. Suitable catalysts consist of Pt—Au or Pt—Au—B, wherein B is one or more metal chosen from the group of chrome (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), rhodium (Rh) and palladium (Pd) and wherein the content of Au is 6 atom % or less.