Abstract: Porous carbon is provided which is a carbonization and optionally an activation product of a precursor resin, which has a pore structure that, as estimated by nitrogen adsorption porosimetry, comprises micropores and mesopores/macropores, said micropores and mesopores/macropores being in a bimodal distribution with few pores of size 2-10 nm, and the mesopores/macropores providing escape routes for volatile products during carbonization of the precursor resin. The porous carbon can be made by a method which comprises (a) forming a precursor resin by reacting a nucleophilic component which comprises a phenolic compound or a phenol condensation prepolymer optionally with one or more modifying reagents with an electrophilic cross-linking agent selected from formaldehyde, paraformaldehyde, furfural and hexamethylene tetramine in solution in a pore former e.g.

Abstract: Porous carbon is provided which is a carbonization and optionally an activation product of a precursor resin, which has a pore structure that, as estimated by nitrogen adsorption porosimetry, comprises micropores and mesopores/macropores, said micropores and mesopores/macropores being in a bimodal distribution with few pores of size 2-10 nm, and the mesopores/macropores providing escape routes for volatile products during carbonisation of the precursor resin. The porous carbon can be made by a method which comprises (a) forming a precursor resin by reacting a nucleophilic component which comprises a phenolic compound or a phenol condensation prepolymer optionally with one or more modifying reagents with an electrophilic cross-linking agent selected from formaldehyde, paraformaldehyde, furfural and hexamethylene tetramine in solution in a pore former e.g.