Activated carbons for electrodes of non-aqueous electric double layer capacitors were prepared from composites of poly(methymethacrylate) particles and phenolic resins. Their surface areas can be increased up to 3000 m(2) g(-1) through simple CO2 activation. Through the characterization of pore properties of the resulting carbons, it was found that the activation process appears to be composed of two steps. The pore properties of the activated carbons were optimized to maximize their performances as electrodes for non-aqueous electric double layer capacitor electrodes.