TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Material: The carbon material is a carbon fiber or fine powder. The porous carbon material has an X-ray diffraction pattern using CuKalpha-ray, and X-ray diffraction intensity (2theta) of (002) plane of 3.3-4.5 Angstrom at 260. The carbon material has specific surface area of 2500 m2/g or less, preferably 100-2500 m2/g. The porous carbon material exhibits a Raman strength ratio (D/G) (I1360/I1580) of the peak value at 1360 cm-1 to the peak value at 1580 cm-1, of 0.1-2.0. The carbon material has average diameter of 100 nm to 30 microns. The pore-forming material is silicon, oxides of aluminum, sodium chloride and/or micro-emulsion polymer beads. The carbon precursor and the pore-forming material are provided in a mixing ratio of 99-5:1-95 wt.%, preferably 99-10:1-90 wt.%, more preferably 70-30:3-70 wt.%. Preferred Process: The spinning is carried out by electrostatic spinning, melt spinning, melt blown carbon spinning, electrospraying, or spray drying. The fiber is treated using sodium hydroxide. The heat treating involves carbonizing the porous fiber in inert gas at 800-1500degreesC for 1-12 hours and graphitizing the carbonized porous fiber in inert gas at 2000-3300degreesC for 1-12 hours. The method further involves oxidizing the porous carbon fiber at 200-400degreesC prior to the acid or alkali treatment.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Compound: The carbon precursor is petroleum-based pitch, coal pitch, polyimide, polybenzimidazole, polyacrylonitrile, mesophase pitch, furfuryl alcohol, furan, phenol, cellulose, sucrose and/or polyvinylchloride. EXAMPLE - 10 wt.% polyacrylonitrile solution was prepared by dissolving polyacrylonitrile in dimethyl formamide. Silica powder was added to the polyacrylonitrile solution and carbon fiber was produced by electrostatic spinning of the mixture. The carbon fiber was subjected to oxygen stabilization at 250degreesC for 5 hours. The stabilized fibers were impregnated with hydrofluoric acid and maintained for a day to remove the silica. Subsequently, the fiber was heated in nitrogen atmosphere at 1000degreesC for 1 hour to produce porous carbon fiber. The produced porous carbon fiber had high specific surface area and high conductivity.