Abstract of the talk// Once regarded merely as an inert, black conductive support, carbon has re-emerged as one of the most creative materials in catalysis. Its ability to be chemically and structurally redesigned, through controlled doping, defect engineering, and hierarchical porosity, has revealed an extraordinary range of reactivities once reserved for metals. Today, carbons bridge the molecular and heterogeneous worlds, catalyzing electrochemical transformations with high selectivity and activity while relying solely on earth-abundant elements.

The conceptual shift began with the realization that heteroatom-doped carbons, particularly C_xN_y frameworks, can act as efficient electro- and photocatalysts.[1,2] N-doped carbons now rival state-of-the-art Pt in ORR, challenging the long-standing paradigm that precious metals are indispensable for catalytic performance. Building upon this foundation, Mateusz’s group explores how carbonaceous materials can extend their reach to more complex electrosynthetic reactions, such as the hydrogenation of unsaturated organics. I will show that carefully tailored N-doped carbons perform reduction of activated olefins, efficiently mimicking the activity of noble metals.[3] When abundant metals (Co, Ni, Fe) are introduced as atomically dispersed centers within the carbon lattice (M-N-C materials), they can direct the hydrogenation of alkynes with remarkable chemo- and stereoselectivity, yielding either cis- or trans-alkenes depending on the metal identity.[4] Intriguingly, in certain systems, these isolated metal atoms instead poison the intrinsic active sites of the N-doped carbon, revealing an unexpected antagonism within such hybrid catalysts.[5] Carbonaceous materials also play an essential role as binders, gluing the active components together. Mateusz shows that subtle variations in polymeric binders alter the microenvironment surrounding the active sites by reshaping the electric double layer, thereby greatly enhancing the activity and Faradaic efficiency of hydrogenation reactions, by up to fivefold.[6]

Together, these findings reposition carbon from passive scaffold to active catalysts, capable of mimicking enzymatic precision while operating under the principles of electrified chemistry. Moving toward sustainable chemical manufacturing, this transformation of carbon truly marks the passage from black powder to bright future.

[1] Kuanping Gong, Feng Du, Zhenhai Xia, Michael Durstock, Liming Dai, “Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanotube Arrays with High Electrocatalytic Activity for Oxygen Reduction” Science 2009, 323, 760–764.
[2] X. Wang, K. Maeda, A. Thomas, K. Takanabe, G. Xin, J. M. Carlsson, K. Domen, M. Antonietti, “A metal-free polymeric photocatalyst for hydrogen production from water under visible light” Nature Mater 2009, 8, 76–80.
[3] A. O. Grammenos, R. F. André, F. Igoa Saldaña, M. Kamra, M. Antonietti, M. Odziomek, “Harnessing the Electrochemical Hydrogen Storage Capability of N-Doped Carbons for Metal-Free Hydrogenations” ACS Catal. 2025, 4519–4532.
[4] A. O. Grammenos, K. Nolkemper, T. D. Kühne J. Yuan, M. Antonietti, M. Odziomek in preparation
[5] Y. Dai, X. Zheng, M. Antonietti, M. Odziomek, „Nitrite Reduction at Low Overpotentials on N-Doped Carbon: When Metal Single Atoms Become Poisons” JACS 2025, Accepted
[6] A. O. Grammenos,  J. Yuan, M. Antonietti, M. Odziomek in preparation