Nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers (MCNFs) with an aligned mesoporous structure were synthesized by a co-confined carbonization method using anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) as co-confined templates and ionic liquids as the precursor. The as-synthesized MCNFs with the diameter of 80-120 nm possessed a bulk nitrogen content of 5.3 wt% and bimodal mesoporous structure. The nitrogen atoms were mostly bound to the graphitic network in two forms, i.e. pyridinic and pyrrolic nitrogen, providing adsorption sites for acidic gases like SO2 and CO2. Cyclic experiments revealed a considerable stability of MCNFs over 20 runs of SO2 adsorption and 15 runs for CO2 adsorption. The MCNFs also have a preferable adsorption performance for Cd2+. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.