Prof. Dominik Halter joined the ELCAT research group at the University of Antwerp in January 2025, bringing extensive expertise in catalyst development, reaction mechanisms, and electro-organic synthesis.
Dominik obtained his PhD in 2017 at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg (Germany), focusing on molecular f-element electrocatalysts for H2 production and then pursued postdoctoral research at UC Berkeley (USA) from 2018 to 2020, where he worked on metal-organic framework compounds for H2 gas storage and heterogeneous catalysis. Funded by the Liebig Fellowship program, in 2021 he started a research group at the Technical University of Munich (Germany) to initiate his research program on sustainable electrosynthesis of energy carriers and value-added compounds. In this context he became promotor of so far five PhD projects targeting electro-hydrogenation catalysis and electro-oxygen atom transfer catalysis as alternatives to OER in water electrolyzers.
Prof. Halter’s work emphasizes structure-function relationships and mechanistic insights in both molecular and material-based electrocatalysis. He introduced the concept of ex-situ electro-organic synthesis—a novel method that separates electrochemical charging from chemical reactions, offering greater flexibility and selectivity in synthesis. This technique enables energy storage materials to be “charged” in electrolyzers and later deployed in external reactors to deliver redox equivalents under tailored conditions.
Throughout his career, Prof. Halter has received recognition for his contributions, including the Liebig Fellowship (2021), Feodor Lynen Research Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (2018), and a nomination as a Reaxys PhD Prize Finalist (2019). His research has been published in leading journals, including Nature, Nature Chemistry, and Journal of the American Chemical Society. His work on uranium-mediated electrocatalytic hydrogen production has been particularly impactful.
At ELCAT, he focuses on scaling up and diversifying electro-organic synthesis through the integration of catalyst development and advanced process engineering in flow electrolyzers. Aiming at electro-hydrogenations, electro-epoxidations, C–H oxidations, bio-feedstock valorization, and nitrogen activation, he supports ELCAT’s mission of advancing innovative, sustainable electrochemical solutions for the chemical industry. Fully electrified liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC) systems and paired electrolysis setups for efficient hydrogen production, through combined catalyst and process advancements add new dimensions to ELCAT.
Dominik obtained his PhD in 2017 at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg (Germany), focusing on molecular f-element electrocatalysts for H2 production and then pursued postdoctoral research at UC Berkeley (USA) from 2018 to 2020, where he worked on metal-organic framework compounds for H2 gas storage and heterogeneous catalysis. Funded by the Liebig Fellowship program, in 2021 he started a research group at the Technical University of Munich (Germany) to initiate his research program on sustainable electrosynthesis of energy carriers and value-added compounds. In this context he became promotor of so far five PhD projects targeting electro-hydrogenation catalysis and electro-oxygen atom transfer catalysis as alternatives to OER in water electrolyzers.
Prof. Halter’s work emphasizes structure-function relationships and mechanistic insights in both molecular and material-based electrocatalysis. He introduced the concept of ex-situ electro-organic synthesis—a novel method that separates electrochemical charging from chemical reactions, offering greater flexibility and selectivity in synthesis. This technique enables energy storage materials to be “charged” in electrolyzers and later deployed in external reactors to deliver redox equivalents under tailored conditions.
Throughout his career, Prof. Halter has received recognition for his contributions, including the Liebig Fellowship (2021), Feodor Lynen Research Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (2018), and a nomination as a Reaxys PhD Prize Finalist (2019). His research has been published in leading journals, including Nature, Nature Chemistry, and Journal of the American Chemical Society. His work on uranium-mediated electrocatalytic hydrogen production has been particularly impactful.
At ELCAT, he focuses on scaling up and diversifying electro-organic synthesis through the integration of catalyst development and advanced process engineering in flow electrolyzers. Aiming at electro-hydrogenations, electro-epoxidations, C–H oxidations, bio-feedstock valorization, and nitrogen activation, he supports ELCAT’s mission of advancing innovative, sustainable electrochemical solutions for the chemical industry. Fully electrified liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC) systems and paired electrolysis setups for efficient hydrogen production, through combined catalyst and process advancements add new dimensions to ELCAT.