To investigate carbon dioxide adsorption behaviors, we prepared mesoporous carbon (MC) materials that incorporated framework nitrogen functional groups via a facile polymerization-induced colloid aggregation (PICA) procedure, where the nitrogen content varied as a function of carbonization temperature. The prepared MCs had high specific surface areas (e.g., 974 m(2)/g) with well-developed mesopores. The highest carbon dioxide adsorption capacity of 106 mg/g at 25 degrees C was achieved with the MCs-800 sample (carbonization temperature of 800 degrees C). We found that the materials prepared in this study were highly effective for carbon dioxide capture, because the nitrogenous functional groups in the MCs enhanced their affinities for acidic carbon dioxide. Copyright (C) 2014, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.