Porous carbon materials have been widely studied due to their remarkable physicochemical properties, including the high specific surface area, extensively pore structure, good thermal stability, high corrosion resistance, easy handling and low cost of manufacture. In order to reap the full benets of designer porous carbons, it is necessary to develop controlled surface properties and structural ordering from fundamental and application point of view. Three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) carbon materials, prepared by colloidal crystal templating (CCT) methods, using so-called hard templates, possess well-ordered periodicity and interconnected pore systems that are of interest for numerous applications, such as sorption and controlled release, catalysts and power sources. Recent breakthroughs have resulted in the development of CCT methods for the preparation of macro-mesoporous carbon by combining CCT with additional templating techniques. This review surveys literatures and highlights recent progress in the synthesis routes of 3DOM carbon by CCT methods, and the hierarchical pore structure by a dual-templating method. It discusses aspects of the main performance parameters, including the choice of colloidal particles, precursors, deposition techniques, and other necessary modications to enhance the functionality of 3DOM carbon materials, and puts emphasis on overviewing the applications in environmental purification and advanced energy conversion and storage.

Contents
1 Introduction
2 Morphological control and structural design of 3DOM carbon materials
2.1 Microstructure
2.2 Macroscopic feature
3 Designing and constructing of 3DOM carbon materials
3.1 Hard templating pathways by colloidal crystal
3.2 Dual-templating methods
4 Key factors in the preparation of 3DOM carbon materials
4.1 Types of colloidal crystal templates
4.2 Types of carbon precursors
5 Application
5.1 Environmental purification
5.2 Advanced energy conversion and storage
6 Conclusion and outlook