TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The microporous support, non-noble metal precursor or pore-filler is a nitrogen precursor. The microporous support is: highly microporous; and carbon-based, preferably carbon black or activated carbon. The non-noble metal precursor is: a precursor of iron (preferred) or cobalt; a salt of a non-noble metal or an organometallic complex of non-noble metal; or ferrous acetate. The catalyst precursor has an iron load of 0.2 wt.% or more, preferably 1 wt.% or more based on the total weight of the catalyst precursor. The non-noble metal precursor and the pore-filler are the same molecule. The micropore surface area of the catalyst precursor is at most 75%, preferably at most 10% of the micropore surface area of the support when the pore-filler and the non-noble metal precursor are absent. The pore-filler/microporous support has a mass ratio of 50:50. The micropore surface area of the catalyst is at least 50%, preferably at least 75% of the micropore surface area of the support when the pore-filler and the non-noble metal precursor are absent. In the catalyst, a mass loss during pyrolysis is equal to a pore-filler loading in the catalyst precursor. The catalyst has a nitrogen content of 0.5 wt.% or more based on the total weight of the catalyst. Preferred Method: The micropores of the microporous support are filled with the pore-filler and the non-noble metal precursor by ball-milling (planetary ball-milling) or resonant acoustic mixing with or without a grinding medium. The pyrolysis is performed: in a nitrogen-containing reactive gas or vapor, which is ammonia; or in an inert gas, which is argon. In the method of producing a catalyst, a second pyrolysis in a nitrogen-containing reactive gas or vapor is performed following the pyrolysis performed in the inert gas. The nitrogen-containing reactive gas or vapor for the second pyrolysis is ammonia. The pyrolysis is performed at greater than 600 degrees C.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The pore-filler comprises a polycyclic structure. The pore-filler is perylene-tetracarboxylic-dianhydride, 1,10-phenanthroline, perylene tetracarboxylic-diimide or polyacrylonitrile. EXAMPLE - Perylene-tetracarboxylic-dianhydride, ferrous acetate and Black Pearls 2000 (RTM: Iron precursor) were placed in a hardened steel vial with 20 chrome steel bails of 0.25 inch diameter. The vial was purged of air and filled with nitrogen using a glove-box. Once tightly sealed, the vial was placed in a planetary ball-miller to undergo 3 hours of ball-milling at 400 rpm. The resulting dry powder was obtained as the catalyst precursor.