The Cu, Co and Ni nanometal embedded ordered mesoporous carbons (NM-OMCs) were fabricated by a soft-template method using phenol/formaldehyde as carbon source and triblock copolymer F127 as template agent. The morphology, structure, surface physicochemical properties and pore structure of the NM-OMCs were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms. Their potential application to the electrocatalytic degradation of aniline was investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and (OH)-O-center dot radicals generation test. Furthermore, the electrochemical oxidation process of aniline was also investigated in the presence of the OMC-based catalyst particles suspended in a Na2SO4 solution using a PbO2 anode. Results revealed that the NM-OMCs inherited the ordered mesostructure of pristine OMC and the metal nanoparticles (Cu, Co or Ni) were embedded in the carbon framework. The Cu-OMC exhibited significantly higher catalytic activity than OMC and other NM-OMCs for the electrooxidation of aniline. In electrochemical oxidation process of aniline, nearly all of aniline could be degraded after 120 min of electrolysis with Cu-OMC particles as catalyst, while 89%, 92%, and 97% with OMC, Co-OMC and Ni-OMC catalysts, respectively, obviously higher than 76% of electrochemical oxidation without assistance of catalysts. After characterization of intermediates, a possible electrochemical degradation pathway of aniline was proposed. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.