A process for the preparation of a porous carbon material using an improved amphiphilic species. Also disclosed are a porous carbon material, devices comprising the porous carbon material and use of an amphiphilic compound for the preparation of a porous carbon material. The process for preparing a porous carbon material comprises the process steps: (a) providing a carbon source comprising a first carbon source compound; (b) providing an amphiphilic species comprising a first amphiphilic compound, the first amphiphilic compound comprising two or more adjacent ethylene oxide-based repeating units; (c) contacting the carbon source and the amphiphilic species to obtain a precursor; and (d) heating the precursor to obtain the porous carbon material.