Carbon is the most versatile element known. It combines with other (carbon) atoms forming materials with astonishing properties. The versatility and potential of carbon has attracted top recognition in the last decade for the work in fullerenes (1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry), CNTs (2008 Kavli Prize in Nanoscience) and grapheme (2010 Nobel Prize in Physics). However, the mystery and wonder of carbon offers more to discover.

While carbon is widespread on Earth, it has been synthesised from fossil fuel based precursors with sophisticated and energy consuming methodologies that generate toxic gases and chemicals. The preparation of carbon materials from renewable resources is a key research challenge in terms of sustainability, climate change and economics. Since the beginning Nature created carbon from biomass.

We have demonstrated that it is possible to mimicking the natural process of carbon formation and prepare carbon nanomaterials from biomass using mild hydrothermal processes.

Professor Magda Titirici will show how all these sustainable carbon materials prepared from biomass in an easy one step and low energy consuming process can be used to eliminate our dependence on petroleum/critical metal based supplies and will provide access to a new economy based on available reserves.