TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ELECTRICAL POWER AND ENERGY - Preferred Device: The device is an electric double layer capacitor (EDLC) device comprising: a positive electrode and a negative electrode where each of the positive and the negative electrodes comprise the ultrapure synthetic carbon material; an inert porous separator; and an electrolyte; where the positive electrode and the negative electrode are separated by the inert porous separator. The EDLC device comprises a gravimetric power of at least 15 W/g; a volumetric power of at least 10 W/cc; a gravimetric energy of at least 20 Wh/kg; and a volumetric energy of at least 10 Wh/liter. The EDLC device comprises a gravimetric capacitance of at least 25 F/g and a volumetric capacitance of at least 20 F/cc as measured by constant current discharge from 0.1-2.7 V with a 5 second time constant employing a 1.8 M solution of tetraethylammonium-tetrafluroroborate in acetonitrile electrolyte and a current density of 0.5 A/g.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The volatile basic catalyst comprises ammonium carbonate, ammonium bicarbonate, ammonium acetate, and/or ammonium hydroxide.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Material: The carbon material is an ultrapure synthetic amorphous carbon material. The carbon material and ultrapure polymer gel comprise a total impurity content of less than 200 ppm of elements having atomic numbers of 11-92 as measured by proton induced x-ray emission. The ash content of the carbon material is less than 0.03 (preferably less than 0.01)% as calculated from proton induced x-ray emission data. The carbon material comprises at least 95% carbon by weight as measured by combustion analysis and proton induced x-ray emission. The carbon material comprises less than 100 (preferably less than 50) ppm sodium, less than 300 (preferably less than 50) ppm silicon, less than 50 (preferably less than 30, especially less than 5) ppm sulfur, less than 100 (preferably less than 10) ppm calcium, less than 20 (preferably less than 3, especially less than 2) ppm iron, less than 10 (preferably less than 1) ppm nickel, less than 140 (preferably less than 1) ppm copper, less than 5 (preferably less than 1) ppm chromium and less than 5 (preferably less than 1) ppm zinc as measured by proton induced x-ray emission. The carbon material comprises less than 3 (preferably less than 1)% oxygen, less than 0.1% nitrogen and less than 0.5% hydrogen as determined by combustion analysis. The carbon material comprises a pyrolyzed ultrapure polymer cryogel, or an activated ultrapure polymer cryogel. The carbon material comprises a Brunauer-Emmer-Teller (BET) specific surface area of at least 1500 (preferably at least 2000, especially at least 2400) m2/g; and a pore volume of at least 0.7 cc/g. The ultrapure polymer gel is a dried ultrapure polymer gel. The dried ultrapure polymer gel comprises a BET specific surface area of at least 400 m2/g. The ultrapure polymer gel is prepared by mixing at least one miscible solvent, at least one phenolic compound, at least one aldehyde and at least one catalyst, (preferably mixing water, acetic acid, resorcinol, formaldehyde and ammonium acetate). Preferred Method: The method further involves mixing the polymer precursors in a solvent comprising acetic acid and water. The method further involves: freeze drying the ultrapure polymer gel to obtain an ultrapure polymer cryogel; pyrolyzing the ultrapure polymer cryogel to obtain a pyrolyzed ultrapure cryogel; and actvating the pyrolyzed ultrapure cryogel to obtain ultrapure synthetic activated carbon material. Preferred Components: The polymer precursors comprise resorcinol and formaldehyde. EXAMPLE - No suitable example given.