This volume focuses on the new and exciting areas of carbons formed from the pyrolysis of polymers and ionic liquids as well as from the synthesis and self-assembly of polyaromatic and mesophase molecules. Although polymer precursor carbons have been extant for a very long period of time in the form of glassy carbons and matrices for carbon-carbon composites, these new materials are much more sophisticated in that their properties can be precisely tailored with processes such as templating to produce a very precise distribution of pore sizes that are required for certain applications but are only possible utilizing these new techniques. New precursors for carbon in the form of lignin and ionic liquids offer the ability to produce new carbon materials as well as fibers at lower cost. Finally the area of synthesis and self-assembly offers a new root to graphene as well as carbons with superior properties.