Studies on MgO-templated carbons were reviewed, focusing on the importance of the pores, particularly mesopores, in their applications. Mesopores were formed to inherit their size and morphology from MgO particles and so could be controlled by the selection of the MgO precursor. The formation of micropores depended on the carbon precursors and apparently on the carbonization conditions. By selecting the carbon precursor, nitrogen-containing porous carbons were prepared. By adding metal compounds of Sn and Pt, fine particles of the metal could be highly dispersed in the carbon. Using the materials as electrodes in electrochemical capacitors with aqueous and non-aqueous electrolytes, mesopores formed in MgO-templated carbons were confirmed to have an important role in achieving a high rate performance. Through the construction of asymmetric capacitors from mesoporous MgO-templated carbons as one of electrodes, a predominant contribution of the negative electrode to the capacitive performance was shown in a (C2H5)3(CH3)NBF4/PC electrolyte. MgO-templated carbon containing fine particles of metallic Sn was used successfully as the anode of lithium ion rechargeable batteries, where the space adjacent to Sn particles in mesopores seemed to absorb a large volume expansion due to alloying of Sn with Li. Mesoporous MgO-templated carbon could adsorb a large amount of gasoline vapor, which was comparable to its mass. The possibility of extending the MgO template process to the production of large amounts of nanoporous carbons was discussed on the basis of its advantages.
