The recent development of new catalytic syntheses of carbon or carbide nanostructures has enabled the production of large amounts of these materials. Consequently, it is now possible to use them as supports for active phases in novel catalytic reactions and processes. New phenomena at the surface or inside these structures open up the way to unexpected applications. We shall first present the latest methods of preparation of these nanomaterials and their characterization and then provide some examples of applications in the fields of catalysis for synthesis of chemicals and catalysis applied to environmental remediation. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.